


Changing Targets

by DarkyLonewolf



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A few days after said episode's events anyway, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author Is Sleep Deprived, F/F, F/M, Good Parents Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, I feel like a lot of this fic is going to make less and less sense as Season 4 progresses, Internalized Homophobia, Kagami does get better, Lesbian Kagami Tsurugi, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain Ship It, Slow Burn, Tomoe Tsurugi is a Good Parent For Once, eh, whatever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-01-03 20:02:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 52,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21185198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkyLonewolf/pseuds/DarkyLonewolf
Summary: Takes place a few days after the events of Miracle Queen.With Kagami's attempt at a relationship with Adrien not working out as expected, she is left wondering as to whether she should really consider changing targets - problem is, it seems as if she doesn't really have a choice so far. Or at least, Kagami thinks she doesn't have a choice - a certain ladybug-themed heroine's night visit ends up making her rethink certain decisions, especially regarding her choice of target...





	1. Visit

Kagami certainly wasn't the type to stay up late in the middle of the night. Neither was she the type to just stand on the Tsurugi residence's balcony and look off somewhere into the distance and stay lost in her own thoughts.  
  
Yet there she was, looking at the horizon and thinking over the events from a few days prior.  
  
The unfortunate friend date that ended up with Marinette running off and leaving her and Adrien alone together. Two failed kisses in a row – one because of Ladybug's intervention, the other because of Adrien's own hesitation. Complete failure of a fight against the recent akuma between both these events. Not even remembering what went down after the second failed kiss – the only part she could remember after that was a sudden sting in the neck, and then nothing but horrible buzzing.  
  
Sure, the rest of the day went by fairly normally, without any akuma attacks to interrupt her, and she got to spend some more time with Adrien, but at the same time…  
  
Kagami just couldn't help but think back to Marinette. Her only other friend – and she just ended up alienating her even further. Whilst a part of Kagami hoped that Marinette would understand and maybe move on from her crush…  
  
Groaning, the fencer took her still-empty day planner out of her pocket and pulled the all-too-familiar dried rose out.  
  
As far as Kagami knew, the only real reason Adrien hesitated was because he clearly had his sights set on someone else entirely.  
  
And somehow, Kagami had a hunch that the person the blond had his sights set on was neither her nor Marinette.   
  
"Sleeping problems, huh?"  
  
A surprisingly familiar voice interrupted the girl's trail of thought. Sure enough, as Kagami looked behind herself, she noticed the all-too-familiar red-and-black-clad blue-haired heroine having landed behind her.  
  
"You know, if you keep this up, you might just draw in an akuma. And we both know neither one of us would want that to happen."  
  
Kagami could swear that Ladybug's voice at that moment seemed… Strained. As if the Hero of Paris herself was practically forcing herself to speak to Kagami despite herself, and that she instead wished to just get back to her nightly patrol and just be anywhere other than the Tsurugi Residence.  
  
"It's… Really nothing, Ladybug. It's nothing worth a hero's concern, anyway." – Kagami looked away and back at the rose she was holding. It was all dried-up, the thorns were digging into her palms like no tomorrow, and she just felt… Wrong holding it.  
  
"Matters of the heart, or family issues?" – Sure, Marinette knew the actual answer to her own question here, yet she still had to keep the cover up, so as to not end up accidentally revealing her identity.  
  
"The former." – Figuring that holding a dried-up flower won't really help her much and will just leave her with unnecessary pinpricks on her palms, Kagami tucked the rose back into her day planner. – "Just recently, I got into a relationship with a certain someone, and I even went as far as to give him my first kiss… Yet it just felt as if the kiss was all for nothing. Neither of us even felt anything, and he just up and abruptly pulled away mere moments in. He said he is just "not ready", and when I confronted him about it, he just… Went silent. Had it not been for the akuma attack interrupting us, we probably would have broken up mere **hours** into our supposed relationship. Instead, it just took us until yesterday to break up. The only good news being that we parted ways on a high note – we just agreed that it would be better for us to stay friends, and that was it. "   
  
Not being able to think of any better response, Ladybug remarked: "I guess he's just not the one, then?"  
  
"Ugh, way to go, Marinette, you just let your still-not-forgotten-feelings speak for you! Failing as both a friend and as a hero – that's so you!" – The hero almost immediately thought to herself after blurting that out. The fact that Kagami gave her that typical squinted glare in response did not help matters.  
  
After a few moments of awkward silence, however, Kagami sighed and spoke up: "Even then, do I look like I have much in the way of options?"  
  
"Okay, okay, I was just suggesting! Still, it's not like he's the only… Friend you've had lately, right? Maybe you're just not really into guys after all, so that's why you hardly felt a thing with whoever that boy was, right?" – And just like that, Ladybug logged out, and Marinette entered the chatroom, so to speak, beginning to dig herself deeper than she needed to.  
  
"First and foremost, I've never even considered the idea of even courting another girl, let alone dating one. That would make me a disgrace to the family, even if the rest of the world were to think otherwise. And second, even if I did consider something like that, the only option I would have in that case is that one girl I recently befriended, and not only does it seem like she's exclusively into boys herself, but I also get the feeling that I might've ended up horribly alienating her." – Now there was a distinct tone of remorse in Kagami's voice. Usually one would only hear her speak in such a tone when she either lost a fencing match, or if she ended up disappointing her mother somehow.  
  
Still trying to both keep her cover and not dig herself too deep, Marinette asked: "How is that?"  
  
"Well, she had her sights set on someone else, and that someone was the exact boy I broke up with just a few days into our relationship." – And now for the genuine guilt courtesy of the fencer. – "And judging by how she ran off nearly crying just a while before that failure of a kiss, I'd say I might've broken that unlucky girl's heart in the worst way possible. Seems like relationships are just something I can't handle."  
  
"Or… Maybe she just thought she was being a third wheel to you two and decided to leave you two be, because, hypothetically, that boy could have possibly told her that he was in love with some other girl and so that other-other girl thought that the boy was talking about you? You may never know." – Internally hoping that this wasn't enough of a giveaway, Marinette went abruptly silent after saying that. After a few more moments of awkward silence, Kagami responded: "Well, even though it seems like she finally moved on from her crush by now, I didn't mean to outright make her feel like a _yokeimono_. All I hope for is that she's not mad at me after all that happened."  
  
"I'm sure she would gladly talk to you about it, provided that **you** are willing to reach out to her as well. Trust me on this one." – Looking around some more, Marinette soon jumped right onto the balcony railing and remarked: "Well, got to go. Think I'll check around the city some more before calling it a night."  
  
Just before she was able to swing away and even utter "bug out", however, Ladybug was interrupted by Kagami shouting: "Wait!"  
  
As the heroine turned around in confusion, the fencer, blushing quite a bit, remarked: "I… Why did you stop by in the first place?"  
  
Uh-oh.  
  
Think of an excuse, quickly-  
  
"Preventive measures. Wouldn't want anyone getting akumatized in the middle of the night, right? " – Marinette blurted out, hoping that this would work.  
  
"I see. Well, thanks, I suppose." – And shortly after Kagami said that, the red-clad heroine was quick to swing away with a "Bug out!" and leave to continue on with her patrol, leaving Kagami waving her goodbye before turning around and going back to her bedroom.  
  
"See you tomorrow…**Marinette.**" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, my first contribution to this fandom. Here's hoping I didn't mess things up too badly.


	2. Apologies

Given that Kagami's usual day was as busy as it could get, it wasn't until during her usual training session in the park that the girl remembered a certain promise she made the day prior – specifically, that she owed a certain someone an apology for the last few days' events.   
  
"You ceased striking yet again. Is something troubling you, daughter?" – Tomoe asked, as despite her complete lack of sight and the fact that she sat on a bench a fair distance away from where Kagami was, she could still notice that the girl ceased her usual motions and paused for some unknown - at least to Tomoe - reason.   
  
Figuring that her mother was practically reading her like a book in Braille, and that trying to dodge the question was no use, Kagami explained: "It's regarding Marinette. We had a bit of a harsh parting, and I didn't even get a single chance to apologize for what happened to her since, especially with how busy this week has been. So today I needed to-"  
  
"Talk it out with her, I know." – Kagami's mother interrupted in her usual stoic tone. – "It's still beyond me as to why you're pursuing that one particular insignificant friendship over any potential relationships, but I suppose that's the one part of your life I shouldn't get too involved with. You'll get quite a bit of time to talk to her over the phone if you need to, but only after you're done with today's practice. I hope I made myself clear enough?"  
  
"Yes, mother. I'll get right back to my training, then." – And with that, Kagami continued on with her practice, yet her thoughts were still preoccupied with yesterday's talk with Ladybug – or rather, Marinette.   
  
Kagami was in the know about her relatively new friend's secret identity for quite a while now, and was outright baffled to see that no one else has noticed it. To Kagami, it felt like Marinette wasn't even trying to keep her identity that much of a secret, as her costume hardly did a good job at concealing her identity all that well, and bits of her more "casual" personality often peered through at certain moments. And yet somehow, Marinette's masquerade worked, much to Kagami's frustration at others' sheer inability to see through several surprisingly obvious tells.   
  
That being said, Kagami decided not to spill the beans to the girl just yet – or at least, until she thought the time was right. She was almost certain that Marinette did **not** need nor want any secret keepers just yet, and that she would probably blame herself for ending up exposing her secret identity to someone else – even though she technically wasn't at fault, it was just that Kagami was too observant for both her and Marinette's own good.  
  
And speak of the devil, the fencer soon noticed her - a fair distance away, sitting at a random bench and seemingly talking to herself all over again. Although Kagami was **very much **aware of just who Marinette was actually talking to, especially considering that the one she was conversing with was just barely peeking out of the blunette's bag.  
  
Kagami just shook her head at this. The ladybug kwami certainly chose the most fitting owner – they both lacked any subtlety and could keep secrets only from those who weren't too observant.   
  
"You stopped again." – Tomoe interrupted her daughter's trail of thought. – "I told you, you'll talk to her during the break, so-"  
  
"She just showed up here in person, and I am not going to miss such a chance, mother. I **need** to apologize to her for what happened. I shouldn't be long, and I'll continue on with my training right after I get back, I promise. " – Before her mother could even respond, Kagami was quick to run off, dropping her bokken to the ground as she did, whilst Tomoe just grumbled something along the lines of "She is going to be the death of me" in Japanese. 

* * *

"I just… I don't even know what to tell her! 'Hello, I'm sorry that it didn't work out between you and Adrien, and I'll try not to rub it in your face too hard, but now that I think on it, you two were hardly compatible in the first place' ?" – Marinette continued ranting to Tikki, not yet noticing that the subject of her rant was running right to her at that exact moment.   
  
"If you don't know how to word it, then maybe just don't bring it up until she herself speaks about it? Maybe then you'll have something to work with. " – Tikki replied, but soon gasped and hid right back into the bag as soon as she noticed Kagami approaching, with Marinette immediately assuming a rigid upright sitting position and forcing out a smile.   
  
"Didn't expect to see you here today, Marinette." – The fencer remarked as she approached the girl.  
  
"Yep! I'm here totally by coincidence!" – Marinette blurted out nervously. – "It's not like I headed here specifically-"  
  
"-because you know that this park is where I usually practice? Anyway, we need to talk something important out." – Kagami responded in her usual stoic tone.   
  
"It's regarding you and Adrien, isn't it?" – The other girl asked, with Kagami's response being a quiet nod. – "Well, first off, I'm sorry to hear that you two broke up barely two days into your relationship. That had to have been harsh. "  
  
"Actually, we left off on a relatively calm note – I admitted that he's apparently not 'the one', and he admitted that he has it real bad for someone else entirely. As much as I wanted to find out just who that girl was that wasn't you, I decided not to press the matter any further for both his own **and **my sanity, so I left him be. And as troubling as it is for me to admit it, I think I made the right choice. " – The fencer explained, still keeping up her typical stoic tone.   
  
"Oh. Well, good for you, I suppose?" – Marinette just barely held herself back from facepalming with both hands after she said that.   
  
"It's just better for everyone involved. Also, while I'm at it… I wanted to apologize for breaking your heart back there. I thought that a potential romantic relationship was far more important than a recently-gained friendship, but I ended up nearly losing both of you as a result. I didn't hesitate, as always, and yet look where it brought me." – Kagami remarked, sighing. Marinette was almost certain that the other girl would end up vulnerable to an incoming akuma at that moment, so she figured she had to think fast, and at least try to make sure that the accursed butterlfy goes for a different target.   
  
"Hey, I wouldn't say you c-completely lost me, though! Sure, it was a bit difficult, but I did move on from my crush, and so far, I'm doing just fine! So I'm sure you'll be fine too, right?" - Not hearing any response to her question, Marinette added: "Maybe we can still try and hang out together when we both have some off time, right?" –   
  
Now that seemed to have worked, as Kagami soon turned to face Marinette and responded with a sincere smile and a nod.   
  
"Tomorrow. I might have quite a bit of time off after my fencing practice, or I could just pull the "headed the wrong way" trick all over again, depending on how much free time you might need to spend with me." - The fencer responded, even reaching out to give Marinette a handshake. – "That is, unless you have some off time today – I might just be able to convince my mother to let me hang out with you for a bit."  
  
Marinette was just about to respond, yet the all-too-familiar screams and cries for help were rather quick to interrupt her.   
  
Yep, her suspicions were proven right – the akuma that was very likely meant for Kagami decided to head for an entirely different target.   
  
"No can do, got a ton of homework to handle for tomorrow! So tomorrow it hopefully is, provided I won't get buried in homework yet again! Bye!" – And with a hasty handshake and somehow nearly tripping over the flat park road, the blunette ran off.  
  
"Subtlety herself." – Kagami deadpanned, figuring she might as well head back to her usual practice spot and hoping neither she nor her mother would get caught up in the crossfire of the current akuma attack…   
  
…**And silently wishing good luck to Marinette in her battle against whomever the current villain was. **  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, this chapter turned out a bit rockier than the last one. A ton of revisions, and even now I'm not exactly happy with how it turned out. As always, here's hoping I'm not leaving any overly notable plotholes or getting any particular moments wrong. 
> 
> Feedback would be much appreciated!


	3. Tensions

The next day was spent by Kagami in quiet anticipation of the upcoming friend date with Marinette. She already warned her mother about her change of plans for that day, and spent most of her way over to the D'Argencourt Fencing Academy in relative silence, being mostly lost in thought regarding Marinette.   
  
She was certainly glad that their friendship wasn't going to be over just yet, and that there was no more mutual crush on some oblivious blond to drive a wedge between them. Still, there were a couple other problems – from Kagami's knowledge about Marinette's double life, to constantly wondering about where exactly her love life was headed from there onward… To some unusual tension Kagami felt whenever around Marinette.  
  
Especially that last part.  
  
Sure, one thing was moving on from her crush and deciding to postpone all romance for a better time, but another thing entirely…  
  
Was the beginning of a crush on someone whom she formerly perceived as a love rival.  
  
Shaking these intrusive thoughts out of her head, Kagami tried to put herself back together.  
  
"I am not some lovestruck schoolgirl from a _shoujo-ai _manga, for crying out loud! I am a proud member of the Tsurugi family, and a proper lady wouldn't stoop as low as to engage in outright lesbianism! What would my mother think if she were to find out? That would be an embarrassment to the entire family, and-"  
  
"We have arrived, Mlle. Tsurugi." – Tatsu's mechanical voice remarked, snapping Kagami out of her thoughts for the time being. Taking a few deep breaths to calm down, Kagami decided that she should probably think on all that later on, as now she had far more important matters to take care of. 

* * *

Not that Kagami's inner turmoil had gone anywhere after that rationalization, though.  
  
If anything, the girl was outright focusing her silent frustration into every single strike and lunge during her fencing practice with Adrien. The blond was left practically unable to fight back, or even defend for that matter, almost each strike landing near-perfectly. However, whereas the other curb-stomp ended up due to Adrien being too lost in his own emotions and ending up making **predictable** move after predictable move, this time it was all Kagami venting and attacking as aggressively as she could, being too **unpredictable** for Adrien to read, and giving him a good reminder to never tick her off again, even if he didn't know that the reason she was upset wasn't his doing.   
  
Shortly afterwards, in the locker room, whilst Kagami was busy looking over the note she wrote down on her phone regarding the time and place of her and Marinette's friend date, she was practically snuck upon by Adrien. Judging by his occasional pained wincing as he spoke up, Kagami really did a number on him. In a way, the hazel-eyed fencer felt proud of herself for that.  
  
"Listen, I know we had a bit of a harsh break-up, but maybe venting like this is painful for **everyone** involved, don't you think?" – The blond remarked, wincing yet again, and leading Kagami to groan in frustration.  
  
He just **had** to bring that up, didn't he.  
  
"It had nothing to do with our literal three-day relationship, Adrien." – Kagami retorted coldly, getting up from the bench and hiding her phone in her bag immediately afterwards. – "Just some unresolved frustrations after yesterday. Nothing worth **your** concern."  
  
"So what happened, then? I mean, just because we're not a couple anymore doesn't mean I can't ever be worried about you again, so-" – Getting interrupted by having a bokken pointed right at him was not the kind of reply Adrien expected from Kagami. As for the Asian girl herself, she narrowed her eyes at the blond angrily and remarked: "I said it's not worth your concern. Why are you pressing the matter even further?"  
  
With Adrien's response being nothing more than silence, Kagami sighed and, putting her wooden sword away, continued: "Don't test my patience, Agreste. Or else you'll get even **more **pain where that came from. If you still care about me as a friend, you **will** leave me alone to resolve my own problems. If your help in some matter is needed, or if I ever want to talk it out with you, I'll just ask you directly. And either way, I think your car just pulled over. You should probably be going now. "  
  
With Adrien quietly withdrawing and wondering what was that all about, Kagami stalled behind for a few moments, checking over the note again before heading for the exit, though she did stop for a moment to take a few deep breaths, still trying to keep her calm.   
  
"_Easy now, Kagami, the last thing you need is getting akumatized on one of the few relatively free days you have. Just try to stay calm. _"

* * *

"So, I suppose you won't head right on home today, are you now?" – Tomoe asked shortly after noticing that Kagami wasn't in much of a hurry to get into the car.  
  
"Yes, mother. I already told you prior, I'll be spending some time on a friend date with Marinette. If necessary, I'll get back home as soon as I can."  
  
"You seem rather persistent in your attempts to keep up your friendship with that girl. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've formed… More-than-simply-friendly feelings for Marinette." – Shortly after saying that, Tomoe could swear that she heard Kagami practically choke on her own breath, and figured she hit a little too close to the weakspot. – "Well, I suppose it is up to you how to use your off time. Just try to get home on time."  
  
And with that said, Tomoe instructed Tatsu to drive off to the Tsurugi residence, leaving Kagami at the academy entrance, as she almost immediately looked through the map on her phone for her intended destination.  
  
The same nondescript little café where Kagami and Marinette went to get some orange juice at after that one treasure hunt challenge was over. Somehow, she figured that the blunette would choose that exact place again.

* * *

So far, the meeting at the café was going by just fine. Kagami greeted Marinette, told her about some fencing practice difficulties – yet not mentioning how she ended up venting a bit too harshly, with her fencing partner walking away with several bruises and wincing in pain from every step –, and the girls each ordered a glass of orange juice. After a few moments and some quiet sips, Marinette spoke up: "Sorry for running off yesterday, by the way. You know how it is with me, I'm so scatter-brained. "  
  
As much as Kagami wanted to tell Marinette that she knew the real reason why she ran off, and that there was no need to keep any secrets from her, she figured that rushing things wouldn't be the right way to go about it. Scaring Marinette off was the last thing she needed.  
  
So her reply instead was a "It's okay. I guess that just comes with being a typical AB."  
  
As the duo laughed it off, Marinette changed the subject: "So, how's it been going so far? Well, for things other than your love life and fencing practice, anyway."  
  
Taking another sip from her glass of orange juice, Kagami sighed and replied: "Well, my training's going by smoothly, my mother's been a bit more lenient lately, I don't seem to get myself caught up in akuma attacks all that often, so I guess it's alright. On the negative side, I had a bit of an unlucky run-in with Lila just the day prior to that one break-up."  
  
It was mere moments after hearing Kagami utter that liar's name that Marinette could swear she heard the glass in the fencer's hand outright cracking.  
  
"Adrien spent a good several minutes trying to convince me that he's only putting up with that liar and lets her work with him during photosessions just so she won't hurt any of his friends over at school. I swear, why does that complete **doormat** even hope that the other girl he's so in love with yet refuses to talk about is going to ever fall for him, anyway?" – Kagami grumbled out, taking a few deep breaths to calm down afterwards. – "But you know what? I'm glad I left that doormat while I could. He wants to be stomped all over and chase after some dream girl of his while he's at it? Whatever. It's all his loss, not mine."  
  
Marinette certainly was none too happy with their conversation trailing right back to that one break-up between Kagami and Adrien, yet figuring that trying to keep off the subject is no use, she continued: "Do you have any other targets in mind, or did you decide to wait for a better time to try and find a new partner?"  
  
Now there was a question that left Kagami thinking for quite a bit.  
  
Whilst at first she thought that she had no other targets after the break-up with Adrien…  
  
Well, now Kagami was certain there was at least **one** option, yet also refused to accept that one in particular.  
  
Sure, Marinette was selfless, beautiful, charming, cute, and quite honestly, Kagami would perfectly understand why anyone would have a crush on that blunette…  
  
But this was just not right! Sure, Kagami knew by now that she wasn't crushing on Adrien for real, and she was fine enough with that. Yet when it came to the idea of liking girls instead of boys, that's when the fencer just ended up berating herself to no end, thinking that a lesbian in the family would be a complete and utter disgrace to the entire Tsurugi family line.  
  
And now that there was no one to distract her from all that... Well, Kagami was burying herself even deeper into distress, that much was certain.  
  
"Kagami? Kagami, are you alright? Maybe I really shouldn't have asked… "  
  
Ugh. And the object of her hopeless crush was still worrying about her, if her tone was of any indication. Even after all the hostility, even after Kagami nearly got her killed at least three times - sure, she was akumatized every single time, but still - and even after she seemingly broke the blunette's heart... Marinette actually cared about Kagami for reasons the fencer herself couldn't even understand. Not that this did much to comfort her - if anything, all of that only served to enhance Kagami's inner turmoil even further.  
  
"It's alright, Marinette, it's just… I don't wanna talk about it is all. It's not your fault. " – Kagami remarked, looking off to the side and trying her best to keep up the façade of her usual stoicism.  
  
"Oh. I see. I guess it's only fair that I don't press the point any further, then. " – Marinette replied, looking away as well.  
  
And thus, the rest of the friend date went by in relatively normal, if somewhat awkward atmosphere – the duo just continued freely chatting over various topics, like Kagami's fencing practice and difficulties she had with the fact that her sparring partner was also her ex now – still not mentioning how she beat the ever-living daylights out of him that afternoon –, or Marinette's school issues and the occasional troubles with Chloe and Lila, though apparently these two left her alone recently and instead began to target each other with their insults and lies respectively, so Marinette was thankful that, at the very least, these two left her alone for the time being.  
  
Even after the date was over, however, with them parting ways and heading for their respective homes, Kagami just couldn't stop thinking…  
  
**Perhaps it really was time for her to take her own advice? **  
  
To stop hesitating and to change targets for real? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this sunuvabitch took me the longest to write. So many revisions, so many nitpicks, and I'm still feeling like I messed something up. I didn't hate writing this one, per se, yet I still feel like I could have done MUCH better.


	4. Hesitation

"Well, this one's a real surprise."  
  
A few days have passed since Kagami's attempt at a friend date with Marinette. There was no more tension between the duo, or at least none of the usual kind of tension that would persist back when they both had a crush on Adrien. Instead, it gave way to Kagami's uncertain feelings towards Marinette that she only recently began to acknowledge.   
  
Still, given Kagami's busy schedule and not wanting to draw her mother's ire any longer, the fencer didn't get to go out with Marinette over the course of these past days, yet the girl still texted her a few times – mostly wondering when was Kagami going to have some off time to go out with Marinette again.   
  
Today was one of the rare free days Kagami had, when the most she had to deal with was some fencing or archery practice in the morning and afternoon, and had the rest of the day off after getting home – although in this case, the girl felt like taking a walk instead of going back home by car. Tricking Tatsu's vocal recognition was a cinch, since the software on the car's system had the occasional workarounds, so getting it to stop after barely driving a few meters was too easy.   
  
And what she certainly didn't expect was to pass by the Couffaines' houseboat on the way through. She kinda remembered that one from way back during the Desperada incident – back when she tagged along with Adrien due to his suggestion to ditch the fencing lessons for the day.   
  
"Hey, look who it is!" – And it seems that the family had guests over yet again, as evident by a small group of Marinette's classmates on board of the houseship. The person who had specifically called out for Kagami was Alya, whom the fencer remembered only too well – mostly due to that one video message she ended up intercepting at the worst of times. - "Didn't expect to see you here all by yourself, though."  
  
Thankfully, Kagami seemed to have gotten out of an awkward conversation easily enough, as it turned out Marinette was on board of the houseship amongst the other teens, and soon noticed the fencer as well.

"Now there's someone I wouldn't expect to meet at this time of day! How's it going so far? " – Marinette asked as Kagami got up onto the houseboat.   
  
"More or less alright. Fencing, archery, calligraphy, so my schedule is still as packed as it gets, though I've had no conflicts so far, and only one interruption of my archery practice by an akuma attack." – There it was again, Kagami's usual bluntness, even when answering to her crush.   
  
"So you two are finally friends? No more trying to sabotage Kagami because she's being a bit too friendly with a certain blond we won't name?" – Alix butted in, probably rivaling Kagami in terms of sheer bluntness.   
  
"In a way, yes. Let's just say that Marinette can be really nice when not suffering from clouded judgment." – The fencer retorted, and with Alix unable to find any decent comeback, the pink-haired girl just withdrew elsewhere for the time being.   
  
Marinette likewise didn't know how to respond to that remark, so Juleka was the one to butt in instead: "I know this might sound like a joke, but she actually considered kidnapping you once."  
  
"Says the person who originally suggested the kidnapping in the first place!" – Marinette shouted out, beet-red from embarrassment.   
  
"Yet you almost agreed to it. " – Alya remarked in a sly sing-song tone, embarrassing her best friend even further.   
  
No one really knew where that conversation was going, and who else would cut in, until…  
  
"Everything alright up here?"   
  
Ugh.   
  
**Luka**.  
  
Sure, Kagami didn't feel any real hostility towards the guy – if anything, she understood just why Marinette would consider him as a great "secondary option" of sorts – yet she still felt at outright unease whenever he and Marinette were in the same general space. She had no doubt that he was a perfectly genuine nice guy, not one of those creeps who just pretend to be nice to get into some girls' good graces, yet something about Luka's mere presence left Kagami a tad ticked off.   
  
And she knew full well just what it was.   
  
"Yeah, just had an unexpected run-in with the ice queen is all." – Alya reassured him, then, turning to face Kagami, added: "No offense."  
  
"None taken. I've gotten to my peers in the fencing team calling me that every now and again anyway." – The fencer replied, looking around for a bit. Turning to face Marinette, she asked: "What are you doing here, by the way?"  
  
"Oh, that one is a **really** long story. You see, I-"  
  
"We just, uh… Needed to get some minor rearrangements done is all." – Juleka interjected. – "Didn't feel like asking the rest of my class at first, and only told Rose about it, but-"  
  
"But I figured it would be much better to get as many people to help as necessary!" - And now it was Rose's turn to interrupt, and continue the explanation: "Though, to be honest, I only got a few people to agree to help us out – everyone else was just too busy. Nathaniel and Marc were working on another issue of the Ladybug comic, Max had to finish writing up a patch for that one videogame he developed, Kim almost immediately ran off to swimming training, and the rest-"  
  
"I think she gets the point, rosebud." – The goth girl interrupted, eliciting a slight blush from Rose at the use of that particular nickname.  
  
"Point is, aside from Rose, only I, Alix and Marinette could tag along." – Alya finished. – "Although with how little work we had to do, and how often Juleka tried to drag Rose away from the rest of the group, something's telling me she just wanted some alone time with Rose."  
  
And whilst Juleka went on to explain everything to the rest of the group, seeming particularly embarrassed with Alya deciding to discuss someone else's love life so publicly, Kagami figured this would be as good a time as any to tell everything to Marinette as it is. The fencer just felt she needed some privacy and to be left alone with Marinette for a while.   
  
"Yes, well, speaking of alone time…" – Kagami got a little closer to Marinette and remarked: "Marinette, I have something we need to talk about."  
  
"Sure thing, I'll gladly hear you out!"  
  
Not feeling like discussing the whole thing with strangers (at least to Kagami) listening in, Kagami looked around for a bit, and leaned in to whisper: "**In private.**"  
  
"Oh! So that's how it is." – After saying that, Marinette turned to Luka and asked: "Mind if we go to the lower deck for a bit, then?"  
  
"If it's really important, I've got no problem with that." – Moments after Luka said that, Kagami practically dragged Marinette down the stairs and into a relatively empty room shortly thereafter.   
  
"So what is that all about?" – Marinette asked as they stopped, noticing that Kagami was… Blushing?  
  
"Marinette, I need to tell you something about my new… Target, so to speak. I didn't want to tell you earlier, but right now, I feel like this could just be the right time to do so." – The fencer spoke up, still trying to keep up her usual stoicism.   
  
"Oh, so that's what the problem was. So who's the lucky guy, then? One of the boys from the fencing team? Or did you meet some handsome sharpshooter during archery lessons? Or-"  
  
_"Don't hesitate, Kagami. You're a Tsurugi, for crying out loud, you never hesitate! Tell her as it is!" – _Kagami thought, determined to tell Marinette everything.   
  
"That's what I wanted to talk about, actually. My new target is actually a girl." – Well, those were at least some steps in the right direction.   
  
"Oh. Didn't think you would swing that way, but I'm not judging you for that!" – Marinette attempted to reassure her friend, which only left her somewhat confused.   
  
"Wait, you don't think I'm weird, or a freak, or a disgrace?" – The fencer asked back, her face outright beet-red from embarrassment.   
  
"Why would I think that? I've spent four years in the same class with a girl-girl couple, and I was okay with them from the start, even if it kinda took them until this year to come out of the closet, so to speak." – And then Marinette stepped yet closer to Kagami, to the point of almost getting up in her face. – "So who's the lucky girl, then?"  
  
"Well… I… You see, the girl I'm having a crush on is…"  
  
And it was then that Kagami felt her words practically stuck in her throat.   
  
_"I can't believe I'm hesitating like this. Come on, Kagami, tell her as it is! You never hesitate! You're a Tsurugi, for crying out loud!"  
  
_She took a few more deep breaths, tried to calm down, and-**_  
  
_"**Are you two alright here?" – Luka asked, peeking into the room through the doorway and cutting in at the worst of times.   
  
And with that, Kagami breathed out what could be both described as a sigh of relief and a groan of disappointment rolled into one noise.   
  
"Oh yeah, we're fine! Totally fine! You wouldn't mind to give us a few more moments, though? It's really urgent! " – Marinette asked, blushing like no tomorrow, with the guitarist nodding in affirmative.   
  
As for Kagami, she still stood there, her mood completely ruined as she noticed just how flustered Marinette was as she looked at Luka.   
  
"_Mari-hime's not going to love you, is she. She already has her sights set on Luka after all. Maybe it's for the best to not tell her anything. Perhaps this is the one time when hesitating is the right thing to do. "_  
  
Soon after, Marinette turned back to face Kagami and asked: "So who's that new crush of yours?"  
  
"Forget it, I still don't want to talk about **them**. I guess I should be going, as I'm already running late as it is." – The fencer retorted in her usual stoic tone, taking a deep breath to calm down and walking out of the room, pushing Luka out of the doorway on the way through.   
  
"Okay, I… Guess I'll text you later when you have some off time, then?" – Marinette replied, a bit confused with her friend's behavior. 

"Looks like she still doesn't trust you enough to tell you everything."  
  
There. That remark from Luka. Overhearing it was what caused Kagami to stop right in the corridor and turn back around.  
  
"Actually… I still have something I need to do." – Suddenly, the look in Kagami's eyes shifted from despairing to a surprisingly determined one, as she walked right over to Luka and soon began what one could describe as a rant of rants: "Listen up here, guitar boy. This girl right here?" – She gestured over to Marinette. – "She's selfless, beautiful, caring and charming. You should consider yourself lucky that you have someone like her even **consider **dating you – not because **you're** not good enough for her, but because **she** is too good for anyone out there, even me **or** Adrien. And if I were the one dating Marinette, I would do everything in my power to make sure she's happy, protect her from all those who dare hurt her, and most of all, I'd make it absolute certain that every minute she and I spend together would be special. And _kami_ forbid if you hurt her in any way, because I **am** going to slice you to ribbons if you do! She deserves the best, so you **damn better live up to that standard!**"**  
  
**An awkward silence. Luka's mildly bemused expression. Marinette's expression of equal parts shock, disbelief, and silent confusion. And last, the tears welling up in Kagami's eyes as she finishes her speech, giving Luka one of her typical sharp glares.   
  
After a few seconds of painful silence, Kagami sighed and remarked: "Now I should probably head on home for real." before getting out of the room and off the houseboat shortly afterwards, not even bothering to acknowledge the few "What's wrong?" questions coming her way as she left the place.  
  
**Elsewhere in Paris, a mechanical window slowly opened up, the noise and the bright light disturbing the butterflies swarming under it. **


	5. Yuki-onna - Part 1

"Heartbreak, inadequacy, hesitation, jealousy… So much negativity piled up in one person. A perfect target for my akuma!"  
  
As if right on cue, one of the many butterflies swarming in the lair flew right into Hawk Moth's hand. The tell-tale process of creating an akuma was completed shortly, and soon the corrupted butterfly flew right out the chamber's window.   
  
"Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her broken heart!"

* * *

Shortly after walking a few more meters, Kagami sighed and sat down on the nearest bench, given how she was already feeling exhausted both physically and emotionally. Not having much else to do, the girl pulled her day planner out.   
  
It was still mostly the same, even after several weeks passed since that one incident – not a single note written in, and the wilted rose and fencing team photo still occupied their usual space.   
  
Sighing, Kagami grabbed the dried rose yet again, wincing in pain as the thorns dug into her hand again. To be honest, this already felt like injury to insult.   
  
Groaning in frustration, the hazel-eyed girl threw the flower against the pavement, stomping it in a few times. She was half a mind to also take out the fencing team photo and rip it to shreds… Only to stop mere moments before doing so, tucking the picture away and putting the day planner back into her pocket before…   
  
"Damn it all!" – she shouted out, kicking away what little remained of the flower and practically falling back down onto the bench afterwards, covering her face with her hands and outright crying her eyes out from there on.   
  
"_At least no one is around to see me weeping my eyes out…"  
  
"Kagami 'Ice Queen' Tsurugi bawling over some random girl. What a pathetic sight this must be."_  
  
The girl didn't notice an akuma coming her way, heading for the ring on her right hand, and the moment it made contact with the silver jewelry…  
  
"**_Greetings, Yuki-onna. I am Hawk Moth. _**"  
  
Given how deep in despair Kagami was at the moment, she didn't even remotely bother to try and talk back to the villain, carefully listening in instead, if her expression shifting from despair to silent rage was of any indication.   
  
"_**They all called you an ice queen, and completely disregarded your feelings**_**_. So from now on, you will have the power to freeze the hearts of others and turn their bodies to ice, making it so there won't be anything left for them to feel. In return…_**"**_  
  
_**"You want me to get Ladybug's and Cat Noir's Miraculous. Got it."  
  
"**_Shatter their hearts the way your heart was broken, Yuki-onna._**"  
  
And with that, an all-too-familiar dark purple energy enveloped Kagami, and the moment it all dissipated, there stood a lady with pale blue skin, clad in a kimono that almost looked like it was woven out of opaque ice threads.   
  
As Yuki-onna took a few steps towards the riverside, she looked over her reflection. Despite the dark blue tear stains on her cheeks, the girl was perfectly content with her new transformation, smirking evilly as she gestured towards the water with her right hand upon which the ring was, firing off a beam that froze into a small patch of abnormally dark ice. Looking back at the houseboat she didn't go too far away from, she knew there was something she needed to do first.  
  
**Specifically, get rid of a certain black-and-teal haired boy that was getting in her way. **

* * *

"I don't know about you guys, but I think I clearly saw Kagami crying as she ran off."  
  
To say that Kagami's outburst left most of the people on the Couffaines' houseboat more than a little shocked would be an understatement of the century.   
  
"That's just plain absurd – everyone knows that Kagami 'Ice Queen' Tsurugi almost never bothers to show any emotion. She is way too stoic for that. And even then, what would ever tick her off, anyway? I think we all know that, since it's already been several days after her and Adrien's break-up, the only thing that could ever tick Kagami off is losing in a fencing tournament. Or losing a family heirloom. Or both at once. " – Alix retorted in her usual deadpan tone.   
  
"Alix, I think Juleka has a point here. Kagami seemed legitimately upset, like she was about to break down crying at any moment! I don't really know her as much as Marinette and Adrien do, but something's telling me it was something really serious to have gotten her so upset!" – Rose objected to Alix's statement, making the pink-haired girl just roll her eyes and retort with a deadpan "Whatever" before looking away from everyone else.   
  
"Considering that the only ones down on the lower deck were Luka and Marinette… Oh dear. Either Marinette said something wrong to her, or Luka interjected at the worst of times. Or both of these happened at once. " – Shortly after saying that, looking back to where Kagami ran off to and seeing a pale-skinned figure clad in icy blue with a snowstorm going off right behind them, Alya immediately uttered a shocked "Uh-oh." as she realized just what kind of impact the recent event must have had on Kagami.   
  
"Aaand right on cue, she's already been akumatized." – Juleka remarked, confirming everyone else's fears, and making Rose cower right behind her.   
  
As for Kagami, she already knew whom she was going to test her new powers out on.   
  
"Look at them, they're all being a collective obstacle. Seems like this houseboat could use a bunch of ice statue decorations. "

* * *

"I just don't understand! Why did Kagami run off looking so… Upset?" – Marinette asked, pacing around Luka's bedroom as the guitarist quietly sat on the bed.   
  
Of course, the boy knew the answer all too well, and was rather quick to tell Marinette as it is: "I know I might be getting mixed messages here, but something's telling me that her speech back there might have been an indirect love confession to you."  
  
Marinette froze in her tracks as she heard Luka say that.   
  
"Wait-wait-wait, hold up, so you're saying that the one girl that Kagami Tsurugi – **the** Kagami Tsurugi herself – has a crush on is actually me?" – The blunette asked, incredibly flustered.   
  
"You… Don't feel the same way about her?" – Luka asked back, slightly bemused, though his question hardly did anything to make Marinette feel any less flustered.   
  
"No! I mean, yes, I mean… I didn't ever think about the idea of outright dating her, that I would ever "like-like" her, even! And besides, even if I do like both boys **and** girls, there's still the matter of making my choice between you and Kagami! I mean, if I were to choose **Kagami** over **you**, then **you** would probably be upset about that, but if I choose **you** over **Kagami, **this would mean upsetting **her** instead, so any choice I make would be horrible for the one person left out, and-" – Marinette's rambling was soon interrupted by a couple gentle yet relatively loud guitar chords courtesy of Luka.   
  
"Marinette. Calm down for a moment." – As if to emphasize his point, the teen played a few calmer chords at a more reasonable volume. – "Look, no matter the choice you make, I'll approve if it. And even if you don't feel the same way about me as I feel about you, that's okay. Like I said back then – even if it doesn't work out between us, then as long as you're happy with someone else, I'm more than okay with it. And at the end of the day, it is up to **you** to make the decision of who you want to be with – neither one of us has the right to pressure you into it. It's up to the audience to decide what song they want to listen to, not the musicians. "   
  
"I… I guess you have a point, Luka." – Marinette remarked, slumping down to the floor in exhaustion. – "Still, I'm not even sure what to think about Kagami and her crush on me. I mean, she really is brilliant, strong, and cute, and now that I think on it, I'm not having any actual problems with "like-liking" another girl – even though I always thought I was 100% straight, or maybe that was my hyperfixation on Adrien talking, or whatever –, but at the same time… I just feel like Kagami is way out of my league. "  
  
Figuring that Marinette didn't quite listen in to what Kagami said during that prior rant, Luka reassured her: "Maybe just tell her you need some time to think on it if you're still unsure, then. I'm sure she'll understand."  
  
Before Marinette could thank Luka for the advice, they were interrupted by the screaming back on the upper deck of the houseboat, said sounds getting cut off as quickly as they started.   
  
"**Great timing as always, huh…**"

* * *

What Luka and Marinette saw upon making their way back to the houseboat's upper deck certainly wasn't pretty.   
  
Not only there were several patches of unnatural dark blue ice all over the place, but it also seemed that Marinette's classmates got in Kagami's way and got frozen in their troubles, looking like statues made of the same dark ice now. In fact, Kagami just finished freezing Alya, getting her hand off the bespectacled girl's chest as she finished turning her into another ice sculpture.   
  
"Kagami!" – Marinette shouted out, soon getting the villainess' attention.   
  
"That would be **Yuki-onna**, Marinette." – The girl remarked, and shortly after noticing Luka, practically lunged at him, pinning him down to the ground with very obvious intent. – "As for you, it's about time I get you out of the way. Let's see how well your constant laid-back attitude is going to serve you in the face of an inevitable heart freeze!"  
  
Her right hand was mere inches away from Luka's chest. The boy couldn't even move, and Marinette was afraid to pull any sudden moves, fearing that Yuki-onna might just freeze Luka for good if she did.   
  
…  
  
…  
  
"…No. I can't do it." – Kagami groaned out remorsefully, getting away from Luka and pulling her right sleeve over her hand, and then, turning to face Marinette, elaborated: "I know full well that if I were to freeze him like this, you would be incredibly upset. You'd still hate me, and I probably wouldn't stand any chance to be with you, **Mari-hime**. "  
  
A little flustered at that nickname, yet still trying to keep her calm, Marinette pleaded: "Kagami, please, listen to me. I know that everyone tends to call you "Ice Queen" sometimes, but you know what I think? I think that deep down, underneath that cold and abrasive exterior… There beats a warm, kind heart. Please, just resign the akumatized object and let me hand it over to Ladybug once she shows up, and she'll fix everything. I promise."  
  
Oh, was Kagami **ever** glad that Hawk Moth didn't decide to intrude further into her thoughts and try to pry for any secrets. Especially for one specific secret no one else but Kagami seemed to know.   
  
"I admire your kind-heartedness, Marinette, but I'm afraid it's not so simple." – Kagami remarked, placing her left, safer hand on the blunette's shoulder. – "You are as selfless as always, and that is truly admirable, so I want to repay you for all that. And there is no better way to do so than to get rid of all those who dared to hurt you. The manipulative liar, the spoiled brat, the oblivious blond, even that clingy cat superhero… I will freeze all their hearts and shatter their bodies into ice shards, Mari-hime. All for you. "   
  
Before Marinette could even object, Yuki-onna almost immediately flew off, leaving an ice storm in her wake. It seemed almost as if the ice storm was her method of transportation in some way.   
  
"Here's hoping Ladybug stops her right on time." – Luka remarked, not knowing that the person he was left alone with was the exact hero he mentioned. As for Marinette, she rapidly mouthed out a quick excuse and soon ran right off the Couffaines' houseboat, though not without slipping up on the few ice patches she passed through and barely managing to avoid faceplanting into something on the way down.   
  
Luka figured that, as much as he wanted to follow Marinette and protect her in case Yuki-onna would come back after her, something told him that if the villainess changed her mind and decided to go back and freeze him, Marinette would probably get caught up in the crossfire.   
  
**At the very least, Luka hoped that Yuki-onna really wouldn't try and hurt Marinette if they bumped into each other again.   
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand now I want someone to get around to drawing a Yuki-onna!Kagami. Too bad I'm kinda too broke for commissions ;P  
Anyway, I ended up having to split the Yuki-onna part of the fic into several parts.


	6. Yuki-onna - Part 2

"I swear, this feels like Silencer all over again." – Marinette remarked as she hid away in some nondescript alley shortly after running off the Couffaines' houseboat and Tikki emerged from her purse yet again.  
  
"You know, maybe you should ask Kagami how she really feels about you after this is over." – The kwami replied, getting Marinette flustered at the worst of times.  
  
"M-maybe I should? I mean, I'm still conflicted on how I feel about Kagami, and then she just up and got akumatized because of me, and- Ugh, I'll think on it later! As for now - **Tikki, spots on!**"

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuki-onna was busy searching for one of the targets on her list. One of the people that, according to her, very nearly made Marinette's life miserable.  
  
Specifically, a liar that seemingly sought to cause as much strife and get as much attention to herself as possible, having no regard for others whatsoever.   
  
"You're not even going to object to me trying to get rid of your accomplice, Hawk Moth?" – Kagami asked in her usual cold tone as she watched over Lila from a roof.  
  
"**_She is as disposable as she gets. And if it'll help you draw Ladybug and Cat Noir out, then do as you must._**"  
  
Kagami was **very** pleased that Hawk Moth was not going to deny her the chance to get rid of that liar.  
  
Not even being at all aware of Yuki-onna's presence, Lila was casually strolling down the street, currently busy thinking of ways to get back at **both **Adrien and Marinette. These two were beginning to become a serious nuisance to her, and the Italian girl felt that she had to do something about it. Problem is, she only recently realized that she dug her own grave with that "lie" that she had to tell due to Adrien's pressure! And whilst this at least got everyone off of her, no one was nearly as obedient and complacent as they'd usually be, which made her manipulations a lot more troubling and required her to be a lot more careful.  
  
So there she was, thinking over her plan, when she suddenly felt a chill and noticed some snow falling. In the middle of an otherwise warm day, this was certainly a throw-off.  
  
"Gabe's experimenting with ice villains again, ain't he. You'd think he would give up after the complete failures that were Frozer and Glaciator… " – Lila thought to herself, oblivious to the fact that this particular villain was going specifically after her.  
  
"Liiilaaa…" – A familiar voice hissed out, making Lila go pale with fear.  
  
"No bloody way…" – She whimpered out, turning around only to practically come face-to-face with Yuki-onna.  
  
"And so we meet again, Lie-la. Now, there's just one question I want to ask before getting rid of you for good. How fun was it – being an accomplice to the villain for once? Being more than just a manipulative liar who can only fool a bunch of complete morons? Being someone who set the Scarlet Moth plan in motion, and was about to do so a second time, only to fail miserably due to unforeseen circumstances? " – Yuki-onna continued in tranquil fury, slowly advancing on Lila. – "But the reason I'm going to freeze and shatter you isn't even because you are of no use to Hawk Moth anymore, far from it. No, this one is **personal**."  
  
"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about me being some sort of accomplice to Hawk Moth, alright? I was just a victim like everyone else! And besides, if it's about something I did to that insignificant little shrew Marinette, I **swear** I didn't do anything to her this time! I swear on my necklace I didn't! " – Lila continued sputtering off excuses, soon realizing that she got backed against a wall. A part of her did feel lucky that any people around were scared away by Yuki-onna's appearance and thus didn't get to overhear the villainess' accusations leveled at the liar, though.  
  
"Really now? And what about nearly getting Mari-hime expelled? Nearly ruining her life? Very nearly getting her **akumatized?!**" – Kagami ranted on in tranquil fury, each sentence resulting in yet more shock in Lila's expression – how did Kagami know about everything she did, anyway?! Before the liar could even respond, Yuki-onna hit her right in the chest, and she only had mere seconds to react and scream in horror before she was completely turned to ice.  
  
"I'd so wish Mari-hime was here to see this." – Yuki-onna remarked as she admired her handiwork – she especially liked the expression of terror literally frozen on Lila's face, as well as the way her locks of hair froze mid-air. Just as she raised her hand to shatter Lila for good, however…  
  
"Stop this already!" – Marinette shouted out as she attempted to tangle her yo-yo around Kagami's raised hand. Not that it was any good – the villainess instead backhanded the weapon away, so the blue-haired heroine figured she had to get in up close and personal. As Yuki-onna turned around, she noticed Ladybug jumping towards her. And shortly after landing…  
  
"And right on cue, there she is. Would there be any drawbacks to freezing her **before **taking her earrings?" – Kagami asked over the telepathic link, still attempting to keep her cover somewhat, and seemingly being able to counteract Hawk Moth's influence enough so he wouldn't peer **too** deeply into her mind. That, or he just didn't bother checking her memory for any significant secrets. In that case, it was **his problem, not hers.**  
  
"**_If you do that, the earrings will be as good as useless, as they will turn to ice together with her! Take her Miraculous first, and only then freeze her if you need to!_"  
  
**"Fine by me." – Yuki-onna remarked, smirking before lunging right at Ladybug.  
  
One thing Marinette knew for certain was that Kagami could be a bit too predictable with her attacks, and thus dodging them wouldn't be so troubling, especially considering she had plenty of open space to fight on.  
  
And as much as Kagami knew that she could just fire off a beam to freeze Ladybug to the ground or to a nearby wall, she was more attempting to get her to back away – she knew full well who was under that mask, and she was seriously against hurting her.  
  
Just when Ladybug thought she had managed to make enough distance between them, she only barely had time to shield herself from an incoming ice blast courtesy of Kagami.  
  
"You are just wasting my time, Ladybug. I have much more important things to do, all in the name of my _hime, _**Marinette Dupain-Cheng! **You are not on my list, and thus you better get out of my way and let me do what I must – that is, get rid of all those who dared to make my _hime_ miserable! The liar is already as good as gone, so it's time for me to head after the spoiled Bourgeois brat!" – And with that said, Kagami fired off a gust of cold wind with both hands, not cold enough to freeze Ladybug but still strong enough to knock her backwards. Before the heroine could get up, however, Yuki-onna already disappeared in a small-scale ice storm, off to look for her next victim.  
  
All Ladybug could do at that moment was faceplant into the snow pile resulting from one of Yuki-onna's attacks and groan.  
  
"Looks to me like someone just gave you the **cold shoulder**, Bugaboo." – An all-too-familiar voice remarked, making Ladybug look up for a bit.  
  
Cat Noir had just landed right near her, and whilst he helped Ladybug get up, he asked: "So, what's the deal with this particular villain? Specifically, with that walking living ice storm that just ran off? Third coming of Stormy Weather, much? Or make that a second coming of Glaciator? "  
  
"You'd wish it was that easy. " – The heroine quipped as she got back up on her feet. – "I'll explain everything on the way. For now, we need to head on over to Chloe's place. Yuki-onna is heading specifically after her, and I think it might be for a very personal reason."  
  
**As much as both heroes disliked Chloe, they were both hoping they wouldn't end up finding her as an ice statue on a frozen-over terrace…**

* * *

To say that Chloe wasn't exactly in the best mood even without a villain heading right after her would be an understatement of the century.  
  
Right now, the blonde was sitting on a recliner at the terrace of the Bourgeois residence, looking off into the horizon and noticing the occasional ice storms popping up here and there. She knew full well it was a villain causing these, and she honestly had no idea what it was all about this time, but one thing was for certain – after realizing that she was a complete disaster as both a villain and as a hero, she figured it would be better for her to stay out of this, and not even bother with the Bee Signal. Although the excuse she gave herself was that she "was above these petty squabbles".  
  
"Here they are, engaged in another utterly ridiculous squabble. Wonder what this particular villain was ticked off about? Not that I would want to know, anyway." – Chloe thought aloud as she reached for her phone, feeling that she had nothing better to do and that she might as well call someone up.  
  
However, she soon noticed that the snowstorm following the villain had begun to advance in the direction of the Bourgeois residence, much to the blonde's confusion.  
  
"Hello? I said I don't want to be involved in any of their ridiculous squabbles anymore! And I'm pretty sure I didn't end up ticking anyone off lately, so why would the villain go after me? " – Chloe whined out as she put her phone down.  
  
And as if right on cue, Yuki-onna landed just mere meters away from her, with the cold storm blowing right at the blonde.  
  
Given that there wasn't that much that changed about Kagami's appearance after the akumatization, Chloe was **very **quick to recognize her. And now her usual complaining gave way to genuine fear.  
  
"L-look, if it's about you changing your mind about Adrikins, then I don't mind! Honestly, you two can stay together all you want, I won't intervene! Just please, don’t hurt me! And try not to frazzle my hair up with that snowstorm of yours while you're at it." – As usual, Chloe's priorities weren't exactly sorted out.  
  
"This has nothing to do with Adrien." – Yuki-onna snapped off as she advanced on the blonde, the realization of what the villainess was about to do to her slowly dawning on Chloe. – "This is about a certain girl you've hurt for **four years and counting.**"  
  
"Okay, w-who are you even talking about?" – Chloe asked nervously, realizing that she really had nowhere to run, especially now that Yuki-onna froze the door leading back into the residence proper shut.  
  
"It's about my _hime, _Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You've hurt her for four whole years, and felt no remorse about it whatsoever. I'd say your heart is already as cold as it can get, but I feel I should finish the job. " – Kagami ranted on, advancing on Chloe. And just when her palm was mere inches away from Chloe's chest…  
  
**Thud!  
  
**Whilst the direct hit with Cat Noir's staff right in the back of her head wasn't enough to stagger Kagami, it still proved to be enough to distract the villainess and make her turn around to see what was that all about. **  
  
**"They could've at least come **earlier**." – Chloe remarked as she saw Cat Noir and Ladybug landing at the edge of the terrace.  
  
"Look, Chloe can be a bit **cold-hearted **at times, but turning her into an **ice sculpture** is just so extra, you know?" - The black cat hero quipped, with Yuki-onna's only response being a flat "What." remark.  
  
"Oh, finally, you two are here! Now, first and foremost, I kinda sorta have to apologize for the whole Miracle Queen incident. So, I'm sorry that you didn't even bother to acknowledge me back there, Ladybug, or didn't try to give me a different Miraculous to throw Hawk Moth off my trail. Oh, and second, **get this literal Ice Queen away from me!**" – Chloe suddenly shouted out at that last part, having completely realized the gravity of her situation as she was basically stuck between a furious villain and a several-story fall.  
  
"That would be **Yuki-onna**, you uneducated brat." – Kagami deadpanned as she froze Chloe's hands and legs to the recliner, turning around to face the heroes afterwards. – "And as much as I want to finish the job and freeze you for good, a certain more important target just showed up personally. I simply cannot miss such an opportunity."  
  
Shortly after saying that, Yuki-onna lunged at Cat Noir in particular, with him just barely managing to jump out of the way and with Kagami nearly careening right off the terrace, the snowstorm following her barely managing to prevent her from overbalancing. And just as Ladybug was about to intervene, Kagami didn't even bother acknowledging the heroine as she blasted her away with cold wind yet again – whilst she knew that Ladybug would present a more immediate danger, she still had a very personal matter to take care of.  
  
**And still didn't want to hurt Marinette.**  
  
"Sorry, Icicle, but I probably wouldn't look all that great as an ice sculpture. It wouldn't have any of the genuine article's charm." – Cat Noir quipped as Yuki-onna continued blasting away at him, with just about all of the ice beams going into nowhere. – "And while I'm at it, I really suggest you **chill out **a bit."  
  
Before Yuki-onna could lunge at him again, the black cat hero saluted with his left hand and pole-vaulted over to a different roof, with the villainess following after him shortly afterwards, leaving the usual snow storm in her wake.  
  
"H-h-hello? I'm g-g-glad you two got the villain away from me, b-b-but would you care to thaw me out? S-someone? Anyone?!" – Chloe whined out, shivering, as she realized she was left alone on the terrace, as even Ladybug just completely passed right by her, chasing after Yuki-onna.   
  
"**Ugh, this is** **utterly ridiculous!**"   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you thought the events in this chapter were a tad too **chill**, then I assure you, it will get **heated up** in the next part.


	7. Yuki-onna - Part 3

Catching up to the duo wasn't that much of a problem for Ladybug, as they were currently in a bit of a stalemate, with Cat Noir still dodging Yuki-onna's ice blasts effortlessly, yet being unable to land a hit on her without getting blown away.   
  
"You know, I have a hunch that if you were to ever take archery lessons, you might probably get kicked out from day one solely because you can't aim to save your life." – Cat Noir taunted after another missed ice beam, though he quickly got blasted away with cold wind for his troubles, barely managing to land properly afterwards.   
  
"Bold words from someone who very nearly got frozen to the ground several times over." – Kagami deadpanned, firing off a few more blasts whilst her target was busy getting back up to his feet.   
  
"These two are never going to quiet it down. Better make the most of the distraction, then." – Marinette remarked as she watched the battle unfold. She already knew that the akuma was in Kagami's ring – the only problem at the moment was getting to it without ending up turned into an ice statue or frozen to the pavement.   
  
"**Lucky Charm!**"   
  
Anticipating that the object wasn't going to be anything immediately helpful, Marinette wasn't too surprised when the Lucky Charm she created was an **oven mitt**, of all things.   
  
"Well, that's the first time it got so straightforward…" – Ladybug looked around for a bit in an attempt to think of some way to utilize that particular item.   
  
Okay, she knew that she had to use the oven mitt to safely retrieve Kagami's ring without getting her hand frozen, yet there was still the problematic possibility of getting hit with a point-blank ice blast, which could very well end up with Marinette's hand getting frozen to Kagami's, and her being unable to get the ring off, trapping the duo in an even worse stalemate. There was also the problem of getting up close and personal with Yuki-onna, which could very well lead to her getting turned into an ice sculpture… Unless…  
  
"Every single time we ended up one-on-one, Kagami preferred to just blast me away and go after her next target instead. She didn't even attempt to freeze me, only using the gusts of wind to blast me away to a safe distance. Perhaps I might just have to use her unwillingness to attack me to my advantage…"  
  
In the meantime, Yuki-onna was already beginning to get the upper hand on Cat Noir, leaving him less and less room to dodge by freezing the ground  
  
"So, let me guess, Icicle – your Adrien phase is finally over? If so, are you still willing to give any other **cat**-didates a go, by any chance? " – Quite honestly, the blond's relentless taunting wasn't exactly casual this time, mostly due to the need to keep Yuki-onna distracted long enough so Ladybug would set her plan in motion.   
  
"Ha! You wish, alley cat! As for that piece of dumb blond – he knew what he was missing out on, yet was too busy chasing that dream girl of his! But if he doesn't want to have **Marinette**, then fine! I'll take her for myself once this is over, and especially after I freeze both you **and** him for good!" – And just as Adrien uttered a shocked "Say what now?!" in response, Kagami blasted him away with a gust of cold wind… Sending him flying into a painfully familiar billboard.   
  
"You're not helping…" – Cat Noir quipped as he practically slid down from the advertisement and fell to the ground… Only for Yuki-onna to have showed up right behind him and having quickly frozen his limbs to the ground.   
  
"Now to get the ring." – And just as Kagami reached to retrieve the Black Cat ring, Adrien was very quick to use Cataclysm, keeping his hand raised as much as the ice bindings would allow him to.   
  
"You're such a foolish alley cat. You do realize that you just took the most unnecessary of risks? Even if you can keep your hand raised up for all of these five minutes, you are still just delaying the inevitable. I'm more than willing to wait for you to detransform." – Yuki-onna snapped off coldly, leading Cat Noir to realize how much of an unnecessary risk he took. – "And as much as I want to just freeze you and cross you off my list of people that need to be punished for what they've done to Marinette, I know your ring is going to end up turning to ice together with you, and thus Hawk Moth might just depower me for completely losing a Miraculous like this. So I'm more than willing to wait."  
  
"Kagami! Wait up!" – An all-too-familiar voice shouted out from behind Yuki-onna, making the villainess turn around.   
  
Ladybug was rushing right at her, and she was certainly intent on taking her akumatized object by force.   
  
"Some people just refuse to listen to warnings, don't they…" – Kagami thought as she fired off a few ice blasts at the heroine, which were swiftly reflected by her yo-yo.   
  
"Kagami, just lower your hand and hear me out." – Ladybug remarked as she got particularly close to Yuki-onna, continuing to close the gap between her and the villainess.   
  
"**_Don't listen to her, Yuki-onna! Take her Miraculous when you have the chance, and then freeze her right there and then!_**"  
  
"Please, there is no need to resort to outright violence. Just hand me the ring and I'll fix this. " – Marinette continued explaining, with Yuki-onna already having held her hand out in case she would get too close for comfort.   
  
"Ladybug, please, stay away from me. I know you're the only one who can fix this, and if I end up freezing you, you know the Ladybug Miraculous will be as good as gone. Don't force my hand!" – Kagami cried out, her eyes already tearing up.   
  
"Kagami, do you think Marinette would really like it if she found out you turned several people to ice for no good reason?" – Ladybug spoke up, trying to get through to Kagami. – "Would she want to see you the way you are now? Would she… **Love you?**"  
  
Kagami's inner turmoil reached it's absolute peak the moment she heard that last phrase. Crying out in anguish, the girl thrust forward with her hand, ready to freeze Ladybug…  
  
Only for Marinette to catch Kagami's palm mere inches away from her chest, and then take her ring off with her mitten-clad hand, tossing the piece of jewelry to Cat Noir as he just barely managed to catch it, with Cataclysm breaking the ring for good. As Cat Noir opened his palm, what little remained of the ring fell down to the ground, with the akuma emerging from said remains shortly.   
  
Shortly after letting Kagami down to the ground safely, Marinette proceeded with the usual purification routine: "No more evil-doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize!"  
  
It was an easy catch – the akuma's path was as predictable as all the previous times.   
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
The purification was an easy process as always, and Marinette was quick to release the now-white butterfly.  
  
"Bye-bye, little butterfly."  
  
And afterwards, taking the Lucky Charm mitten off…  
  
"**Miraculous Ladybug!**"  
  
The healing wave was doing it's work quickly as always – not only turning the ice statues back to normal, but also thawing out frozen-over streets and the few victims who were lucky enough to not get turned into statues ("Ugh, finally! What took her so long?!" – Chloe whined as she got freed from her ice bindings.), and even getting rid of the snow piles left by Yuki-onna's snowstorms.   
  
"Whew! Now that was a **chilling **situation!" – Cat Noir remarked as he got up from the ground.   
  
"**Pound it!**"  
  
As for Kagami…  
  
"Ugh… How did I get here?" – The fencer asked as she looked around, still standing on her knees, and as soon as she noticed the heroes, the realization of what happened hit her like a tidal wave of frustration. – "I can't believe I got akumatized again! My impulsiveness is going to be the end of me someday, I swear… "  
  
"All that matters now is that you're back to your normal self, and any damage caused by you was already undone. Don't worry about it, Kagami. " – Marinette remarked as she approached the girl.   
  
"Mar… Ladybug, I think we need to discuss something right now." – Kagami sincerely hoped that the heroine didn't notice her verbal backspace back there. Before Ladybug could speak up, the usual beeping from her earrings interrupted her, with Cat Noir's ring making the same sound a couple moments afterwards.   
  
"I'd love to stay behind and listen in, but I'd hate to be a third wheel – and my time's running out, so _au'revoir_!" – And with that, the black cat hero pole-vaulted away, leaving Kagami and Ladybug alone with one another for now.   
  
"Yeah, think I should be going too – I probably have only a minute or so to spare, so-"  
  
"Actually, I have something important to talk out with you." – Kagami pleaded, interrupting Marinette. – "But we have to get to somewhere private first."  
  
The blunette didn't even have time to object as the other girl outright dragged her over to a nearby valley, where hopefully no one could hear them – at the very least, they were as far away from the street as possible.   
  
"Look, I know you want to talk it out, Kagami, but I'm in a real hurry-"  
  
"Sure, but just give me a moment to explain myself-"  
  
"I don't have a single moment to spare, I'm running out of time, and-"  
  
"It's not going to take any more than a few seconds, I promise-"  
  
"Look, I know what you're worried about, but I'm sure Marinette will be all too willing to hear you out when you explain everything to her, so-"  
  
"**Marinette, just hear me out!**"  
  
...Were they ever lucky that no one else was around in that alley.  
  
The red-and-black-clad heroine couldn't believe her own ears, whilst Kagami covered her mouth up with both hands as she realized what she just blurted out. Not that this helped with the barrage of questions that Marinette had.   
  
**How** did Kagami know? For **how long** did Kagami know? And most importantly, **how high were the odds that Hawk Moth managed to find out her identity through Kagami whilst she was Yuki-onna?**  
  
Not that knowing the answer to these questions would make things any better for Marinette, and she seemed all too willing to get as far away from Kagami as possible, beginning to slowly back away.   
  
"I know, this is a bit sudden, and I should have told you earlier, but I promise, Hawk Moth couldn't have found out about you through me! My memory may be a little hazy, but I could swear I didn't let him too deep into my mind, so he couldn't have-"  
  
Marinette didn't even bother with an answer as she attempted to swing away, zooming off through the alley and onto a nearby rooftop…  
  
Only for the obnoxious beeping to remind her that her time as Ladybug ran out at that moment, with her returning back to her usual self.   
  
And her yo-yo disappeared together with her costume.   
  
And there wasn't enough momentum to carry her forward safely.   
  
And she was several stories off the ground.   
  
And there was nothing to soften the landing.   
  
"Well, looks like that's it for me." - Marinette thought as she fell down, looking up at the sky. - "What a humiliating way to go out, too..."  
  
**Closing her eyes as her life flashed right before them, the girl prepared for the inevitable painful crash...**


	8. Explanations

**_Mari-hime…  
_**  
These words continued echoing in her head.  
  
**_Mari-hime…  
_**  
Something about that nickname made Marinette feel more than a little uneasy.   
  
**_Mari-hime…  
_**  
Marinette knew the connotations behind the "-hime" honorific all too well. She may have had a very passing knowledge in Japanese, but she was at least somewhat familiar with the honorifics. And the blunette was well-aware of what this honorific meant…   
  
****_Mari-hime!_

* * *

As Marinette opened her eyes, she still felt a little dazed. She didn't pass out, and she seemed to be just fine and in one piece, yet the fall was still enough to leave her a little light-headed. As her vision cleared up, Marinette soon realized that Kagami was the one to save her from that fall.   
  
"Kagami…" – She uttered weakly, looking around for a bit. She was still in that same valley, and her whole body was aching. So that unlucky landing did happen after all. – "Ugh, I must have broken a bone or two after such a landing, didn't I?"  
  
"Actually, I think it was **my **hands you nearly snapped off when I tried to catch you– As Kagami said that, Marinette only then realized that she wasn't lying on the ground.  
  
No, in fact, Kagami was holding the girl in her arms.   
  
"Nice… Catch, I guess?" – The blunette remarked confusedly as she snapped out of her daze.  
  
"Yeah, next time you decide to Ladybug away from me, make sure your timer doesn't run out at the worst of times." – The other girl replied, blushing.   
  
"Ugh… That's the **worst** blunder in my entire life!" – Marinette groaned out, facepalming with both hands as the realization hit her yet again. – "So much for keeping my secret identity an actual secret…"  
  
"If it's any consolation, Marinette, I've known about your hero identity for quite a while by now, even before this particular blunder, though I'm sure you already know that." – Kagami attempted to reassure her.   
  
"How long specifically?" – The blunette didn't even bother to get her hands off her face as she said that.   
  
"To be honest, I don't know the exact point when that happened myself. All I know is that all it took me was just a couple careful observations, and, well… It wasn't that difficult. I suppose the sole reason other people don’t recognize you in-costume is because they're too busy gawking at your superhero self in complete awe to pay attention to any similarities between Ladybug and Marinette." – Kagami explained, letting Marinette down onto the ground and letting her stand up. – "And even careful observations aside, you aren't exactly subtle in your chatting with that kwami of yours."  
  
Sighing as she got her hands off her face, Marinette outright fell on her knees and rapidly pleaded: "Please, Kagami, just don't tell anyone about my secret! I promise I'll do anything for you, just please-"  
  
"She can be such a drama queen sometimes." – Kagami remarked inwardly, chuckling, yet what she said instead was: "Okay, first of all – never promise you'd do literally **anything**. If anyone less conscientious found out about your identity, they would probably take advantage of your mistake. Second of all, I know how important keeping it a secret is to you, so you don't really have to do any favors for me in return. "  
  
"Oh… Um, right." – The blunette replied, getting up from her knees. – "But still, you know you can't tell anyone!"  
  
Kagami certainly didn't expect to feel Marinette's hands on her shoulders again. And even more – to have her get so close to her as she said that.   
  
"Yes, I know, **Mari-hime**." – Kagami replied, attempting to stay calm as always, yet blushing like no tomorrow as she realized what she just did, and it seemed that the realization hit Marinette just as hard, if her beet-red cheeks were of any indication.   
  
"That nickname again…" – Marinette uttered quietly, seeming a tad shocked. – "You called me 'Mari-hime' yet again."  
  
"Right… I really need to have some self-control." – The fencer replied guiltily, looking off to the side. – "I mean, we're not even in any relationship yet, but I'm already going a bit out of control with the familiarities."   
  
"Oh… About that…" – As Marinette attempted to reply to Kagami, she thought back to Luka's words again…   
  
"_Something's telling me that speech back there might have been an indirect love confession to you._"  
  
"Did you… Really mean what you said back then, on board of the houseboat?" – And that was the question that made Kagami freeze still for a moment.  
  
After a few moments of silence, however, Kagami smiled and replied: "I may have went overboard with my speech back there, but I suppose I really did mean it."  
  
"Even that… Part about me supposedly being too good for you? I mean, I always thought that **I** was not good enough for **you**! But now… Actually, nevermind, I still think you're giving me **too much credit**." – Marinette's face was outright beet-red as she said that.   
  
"One thing I can say for certain is, your humility sure is something to behold." – As the hazel-eyed girl said that, Marinette couldn't help but chuckle in response, feeling glad that Kagami was willing to defuse the situation somewhat. Something that didn’t help her tension, however, was how Kagami was still close enough to be in "kissing range", so to speak.   
  
Sure, the nondescript alley was hardly an appropriately romantic setting, and her heart was still threatening to just jet out of her chest from sheer anxiety, yet Marinette found herself surprisingly mesmerized by Kagami as the other girl looked her in the eyes upon approaching her.   
  
"All I'm waiting for is an appropriate response. Do you feel the same way about me as I feel for you, or are you still after a different target?" – The fencer continued, and her words afterwards outright echoed in Marinette's mind as she remembered a certain someone else saying these same words before:  
  
"**No matter the choice you make, I'll approve of it.**"  
  
"Yeah, only question is whether either of you are willing to live up to your words and accept my choice for real." – Marinette thought as she heard Kagami say that. And from there, she was back to being her usual hot mess self.   
  
"Well, uh… I mean, I **really** meant it back then, when I called you brilliant, strong, and cute! But then again, Luka is also quite caring, selfless, and certainly handsome… But you are also surprisingly nice, contrary to everyone else comparing you to an ice queen… Yet Luka helped me through the worst of times no matter what else happened- And yet you- But he is- And-"  
  
Figuring that hesitating just won't cut it, and that Marinette was not going to speak up just yet, Kagami decided she might as well strike first.  
  
And before Marinette could even react, Kagami pulled her into an embrace and kissed her on the lips.   
  
Okay, whilst Marinette had no idea just where Kagami learned to kiss so well, she still didn't feel like trying to break the kiss and attempt to find out. Right now, it hardly mattered to her **how** Kagami managed to kiss so well despite having no experience in it. What mattered is that the fencer girl **really was a surprisingly good kisser. **  
  
They both felt more than a little dazed after Kagami pulled away, and that loving look in Kagami's eyes certainly didn't help Marinette's dazed state either.   
  
"Okay, first you give me the love confession to top **all** love confessions, then you get akumatized because of me and yet seemingly managed to avoid hurting me voluntarily **and somehow **didn't out me to Hawk Moth, then I find out that **you found out** about my double life as Ladybug, and then **this… **This is just so much to take in. Do I have permission to faint?" – The blunette rapid-fired out, and her voice at the last few sentences certainly indicated that she wasn't kidding about the fainting part.   
  
"Not until you answer a certain question to me." – Kagami remarked in an oddly determined tone, though her sudden shift from her usual "stoic yet determined" look to a somewhat unsure expression had Marinette thrown for a loop. And so did her question: "Do you really think we could be a good couple if we tried?"  
  
The sudden change in Kagami's demeanor was almost enough to shock Marinette out of nearly fainting. Whereas she was as confident as she could get when kissing her, now the hazel-eyed blunette seemed almost… Uncharacteristically shy.   
  
"No wonder she's like that – her only prior experience in relationships ended up with her partner dumping her to pursue someone else. That couldn't have **not** had any effect on her, even considering how stoic Kagami usually is." – Marinette though it over.   
  
"I mean, I am willing to give it a try. Go out on a few more dates, try to take things a little further… Just, you know, try not to rush it too much?" – Seeing Kagami's somewhat upset expression, Marinette hurriedly corrected herself: "I mean, it's not like I can't decide! Of course I want to be with you, but it's just-"  
  
"Look, I see we both have a bit too much to take in for one day. I suggest we call it a day and part ways for now. Maybe we can talk it out over the phone in the evening, if that makes you feel any better." – Kagami reassured her, placing her hand on Marinette's shoulder.   
  
Just as Marinette was about to reply, Kagami's phone rang at the worst of times.  
  
"Kagami! You better have a valid reason to have ended up going off schedule this badly!" – Tomoe shouted from the other end the moment Kagami answered the call, not even letting her speak up.   
  
"Sorry, mother. I got caught up in an akuma attack on my way back home. I promise I'll get back as fast as I can."  
  
"Don't just make up lousy excuses at me, young lady! When you get home, you'll explain the **real** reason why you've gone off schedule!"   
  
Getting fed up with Tomoe's raging on the other end of the line, Marinette took the phone right out of Kagami's hand, and, hoping for the best, and that her tone would be enough to throw Tomoe off, spoke up: "Madame Tsurugi, this is Ladybug speaking. I assure you, your daughter isn't lying. She's got caught up in an akuma attack a while prior, but I assure you, she's safe and sound, and I promise I could even bring her back home safely if need to. Just please, don't be mad at her – she had a rough enough day as it is."  
  
A bit of silence on the other end. Kagami felt a tad uneasy, and Marinette was outright ready to chew her hands off, yet still tried to keep her calm in such a situation just like Kagami would normally do.   
  
"Just as well, Ladybug. If what you're saying really is true, then… Just get her over to the Tsurugi residence safely and don't take too long. I promise I won't be too harsh on her." – And with that, Tomoe ended the call, with both Kagami and Marinette breathing out in relief.  
  
"I have to admit, that's a trick I didn't expect you to pull."   
  
"**And I didn't even expect it to work!**" – The blunette replied, grinning shyly. – "Anyway, I might need to recharge before I can get you back home, so just give me and Tikki a few moments. Aaaand you might have to give me some directions to your place when we'll go, too. "

* * *

"I'm sorry I've gone off schedule like this, mother."  
  
It wasn't long before Ladybug and Kagami made their way to the Tsurugi residence, the former practically carrying the latter in her arms. And sure enough, as they landed, Tomoe was already waiting at the entrance.   
  
"At least you made it back home safely. That being said, given your schedule slip, you might have to work the missed training session off tomorrow." – The woman replied, and as Kagami walked past her and went into the Tsurugi residence, she sighed and remarked to Marinette: "Sorry if my daughter caused you any trouble, Ladybug-san. Also, I have a feeling that you withheld the fact that **she was the one akumatized**, but I figured I'd try not to pry at the matter too badly, as it did seem she had a harsh enough day as-is**.**"  
  
"Well, from what I've heard from her, she had a rough day of fencing training, and she had some difficulties with her friend Marinette, so-"  
  
"I don't need you to explain **why** she got akumatized. She tends to get a little impulsive, and _Kami_ knows how badly this can often end. Especially if there's someone around to take advantage of that particular trait of hers. So I don't quite blame her. Impulsiveness seems to run in our family." – Tomoe continued, interrupting Marinette.   
  
"I see…" – Realizing her accidental faux-pas, Marinette hurriedly corrected herself: "I mean, as in, I understand! Not as in "see", but-"   
  
"No need to apologize for your phrasing, Ladybug. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to talk out with my daughter. Like I said, I promise I won't be too harsh on her. " – And with that, Tomoe went back into the Tsurugi residence.   
  
"Well, either way, I should be going too. Bug out!" – Shortly after that, the red-and-black-clad heroine swung away by her yo-yo, heading on right for her home…  
  
**And hoping that Tomoe would keep her promise to not be too rough on Kagami. **


	9. Acceptance

"Now then, I hope you wouldn't mind telling me what happened."  
  
To be completely honest, as much as Kagami expected her mother to start the conversation out on this, it still felt like the conversational equivalent of a sudden fencing lunge mere seconds into the duel.   
  
Seeing that her daughter was taking quite a bit of time to reply, Tomoe continued: "I am well aware that this wasn't the first time you ended up akumatized – the natural Tsurugi impulsiveness is as much our weakness as it is our strength – yet I am curious as to what the reason was this time."  
  
Figuring that trying to withhold the answer will lead her nowhere, yet still trying her best to keep up her usual stoic demeanor, Kagami replied: "It's regarding matters of the heart, so to speak. "   
  
Sighing in realization that she isn't going to get a proper answer out of Kagami, the older woman continued: "Your new love interest rejected you, didn't he."  
  
"More like I rejected myself, to be honest." – Seeing her mother's puzzled expression, the girl explained: "I attempted to confess to **her**, but then something went wrong and **I hesitated**. And my hesitation led to frustration which, in turn, resulted in an angry outburst. And said frustration also apparently led to me getting akumatized and-"  
  
"Hold on a moment, Kagami. So your new crush is a girl?" – Tomoe interjected, the conversation trailing off into silence as Kagami faced away from her mother. What had the hazel-eyed girl surprised was that her mother didn't seem in any way shocked, baffled or disappointed – her expression and tone were still as neutral as they could get, even as she continued questioning Kagami: "It's that Marinette girl, isn't it? "  
  
Well, at least the worst part of coming out of the closet was behind Kagami for now. The awkward silence persisted for a few more moments, until…  
  
"Yes, it's her. That one girl that I snuck off on a treasure hunt game with a while back. "  
  
And then the silence continued yet again. Neither Tomoe nor her daughter attempted to speak up for quite a few seconds, until…  
  
"Are you certain about this… Crush of yours, Kagami? For all I know, you might still be confused after your recent disaster of a relationship, so-"  
  
"I'm certain about it, mother. And after we talked with her for a bit, it turned out that Marinette seems to at least partially reciprocate those same feelings. Or at the very least, she's willing to give this relationship a go to see if it's going to work out between her and me. " – The younger fencer explained, deciding not to mention the recent kiss and once again leaving Tomoe silent for a few moments.  
  
"Mm-hmm. And you are absolutely certain that you have real romantic feelings for her." – The blind woman remarked, maintaining her usual stoic tone. With Kagami's response being a quiet, almost resigned "Uh-huh", Tomoe continued after a sigh: "Just as well. If you truly see Marinette as a worthy candidate, then perhaps I'm not one to judge your choice."  
  
Still feeling a little surprised at how her mother took the news in stride, Kagami asked: "So… You don't have any problems with me courting a girl instead of a boy? "   
  
"Why should I? Today's society is far more acceptant of such relationships, so I don't have to worry about the family reputation. I've heard more than enough about how same-sex couples resolve the matter of having a proper… Descendant, if you will, so I'm not worried about there not being an heir to the Tsurugi family. And with how I hardly care about religion, there are no religious reasons to get in the way, too. So all in all, I have no real problems with you having a crush on a girl. And whilst I don't know Marinette as well as you do, I'm certain you had a legitimate reason to fall for her, even if I expected you'd be interested in someone of… Higher social standing. " – Tomoe responded in a surprisingly calm tone, and shortly before Kagami attempted to leave the room for good, added, albeit more sternly: "Either way, if you really want to find out whether your feelings for Marinette are genuine, or if they're just mere infatuation, I'm not one to stop you. Just don't come back completely distraught if something goes wrong. "  
  
Not at all feeling satisfied with that last note that her mother capped off on, Kagami sighed and went to leave for her bedroom for the time being. Just before she could exit the living room of the Tsurugi residence and head up to her bedroom, however…   
  
"Oh, and one more thing… **You have a full day off tomorrow**. "

* * *

"This just doesn't feel right anymore."  
  
That particular remark courtesy of Marinette was referring to the metric ton of photographs and magazine clippings of Adrien that still adorned the wall in the blunette's room.   
  
Whereas previously her heart was almost entirely occupied by that kind yet oblivious blond, now the photographs just served as a reminder of what she came to call "the Adrien phase" – back when most, if not all of her weirder and more unusual actions as her usual, non-superhero self, were dictated by attempts to impress Adrien and get him to notice her as more than just a friend.   
  
And that certainly caused way too much of a mess for both Marinette and others around her – from dragging her friends into various wild schemes, which they were obviously getting tired of already, to getting various people in trouble for no good reason, to mistreating an otherwise great person out of pure jealousy and spite, to even embarrassing herself for life more than a few times…  
  
Sighing, Marinette reached to start pulling one of the photographs off the wall…   
  
Only for a phone call to startle her and result in her tearing the photo in half instead of simply removing it.   
  
And of course the person calling was none other than Kagami.   
  
"Good Kagami, how's it going, evening?" - Nearly bashing her face in with her palm out of embarrassment after saying that, Marinette attempted to correct herself, only to be met with a light-hearted sarcastic remark on the other end of the phone line: "And here I thought that your word mix-ups were gone together with your old crush."  
  
"I guess some things never change – you're still too stoic for your own good and oftentimes too impulsive, and I'm still a stuttering, clumsy mess. " – Marinette quipped back, the response she got on the other end being a giggle.   
  
"Yes, I guess that's how it'll always be. Anyway, I have a full day off tomorrow." – Kagami remarked afterwards, being rather glad that she didn't need to waste too much time to segue right into the intended purpose of the call. – "Normally I spend those days just wandering around the city aimlessly and checking the sights out, or practicing swordfighting in the park, but I figured it would be best to put one of the few free days I have to better use."  
  
"So what did you have in mind, then?" – The other blunette asked, more than a little curious about what her now-sorta-girlfriend had in mind.   
  
"Well, I wanted to ask you out on a date, but I really have no ideas on any good dating spots. Any bright ideas, Marinette?" – Kagami asked back, hearing nothing but a lengthy "Hmm..." and a drawn-out silence afterwards on the other end of the line for the next few moments until…  
  
"How about a movie date? The new Majestia-verse movie should still be showing in theaters tomorrow, so I guess that could be good enough?" – Marinette suggested, going back to tearing down her "shrine".  
  
"Sounds decent. Even though I'm not really into superhero movies, I'm willing to give that one a shot." – As Kagami said that, she looked around to check whether her mother had walked in on her talking without her noticing, and soon continued, in a slightly lower tone: "Here's hoping no akuma attacks happen during the date. Although even if they do-"  
  
"Kagami, you know full well I can't give you the Dragon Miraculous again." – Hearing a quiet resigned groan on the other end, Marinette continued: "Trust me, it's for your own safety. Besides, we all know how it went with Miracle Queen."  
  
"Well, I'm certainly not as easy to sway as that Bourgeois brat was. You wouldn't have anything to worry about…" – Kagami paused for a moment, feeling glad that Marinette couldn't see her blushing, and added: "And besides, all I would really want the Dragon Miraculous for is to protect you, you know. "  
  
"Oh my…" – The blunette certainly didn't expect such a reply from Kagami, but was left even more shocked as her girlfriend continued: "I know you can fight on your own just as well, but I still want to fight by your side again, and make sure none of those villains would even dare lay a finger on you… Mari-hime."  
  
"_There's that nickname again._" – Marinette thought, and it was now her turn to blush profusely. What she said instead, however…  
  
"Fine, I'll think on it, you hot-blooded overprotective dragon you! But either way, here's hoping our date tomorrow won't be interrupted."  
  
"I'm kinda hoping for that too. _Ja ne._" – And with that, Kagami hanged up, whilst Marinette sighed and went back to tearing down her little shrine.  
  
Strange. Even though she knew she was going to dispose of all these photos and magazine clippings for good, she hardly felt any regret about that. If anything, it felt more like she was just casually cleaning her room up instead of tearing down what amounted to a stalker shrine dedicated to a single person.   
  
**And she felt surprisingly content with that. **   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took too long. Working on a different fic for a different fandom for one thing, being buried shoulder-deep in extra academic work for another, and not being too happy with certain moments and revising them several times over for a third. Here's hoping this one was done well, despite the nigh-constant revisions.


	10. Chains

"So the day plan is as follows – I arrive at the movie theater at 12:30, the movie proper starts at 13:00, meaning we'll have half an hour to make the necessary preparations, such as getting some drinks if you want. The movie proper lasts for two and a half hours, so it's estimated to end at 15:30 or so. Tatsu should be arriving near that specific time, yet if something like an akuma attack happens, I have mom on standby to send him over to pick us up earlier. Once I get home, I'll immediately call you up, provided there won't be any interruptions. " – Kagami recapped over the phone whilst she was on her way over to the movie theater.   
  
"Wow, you've certainly planned through every moment, didn't you? But maybe it would be better if you try to relax? You have an off day after all, not one of your usual tightly-packed overscheduled days!" – Marinette remarked on the other end.  
  
Kagami responded in her usual blunt manner: "I'll see about trying to relax, depending on how the date goes. Either way, see you in a few minutes."  
  
And with that, the hazel-eyed fencer hanged up, sighing.  
  
"_Finally a proper date with Marinette. One that happened not by proxy due to Adrien's presence, but on our own volition. Here's hoping everything goes well, and maybe Mari-hime and I will go on to have a proper relationship eventually… Here's hoping there won't be any insane cameraman villain or a second coming of Animaestro to ruin today's date, though…"  
  
_Animaestro…  
  
Heh. Looking back on the Animaestro incident, or rather what happened shortly before said incident proper, Kagami couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
Oh, how times change. It's funny how Kagami and Marinette started out on such a rough note that the clumsy blunette was outright willing to ruin the hazel-eyed lady's kimono out of pure spite and jealousy – granted, ruining Kagami's formal wear wasn't Marinette's plan in the first place, but she still went through with it either way – and wanted to sabotage her efforts in the treasure hunt game **just** so she wouldn't get between her and Adrien, yet now they were going out on a more or less casual movie date, without any of the then-usual animosity between them. In fact, ever since she admitted her feelings for Marinette, Kagami felt that her life was almost getting easier…  
  
And whilst the hazel-eyed girl was busy being lost in thought, she didn't notice that she's arrived to the movie theater until after Tatsu's usual pre-recorded message reminded her: "Tsurugi-sama, we have arrived to your destination."  
  
Getting out of the car, Kagami almost immediately nearly bumped into Marinette, and whilst the fencer was more than capable of keeping her balance enough, her girlfriend… Not so much.  
  
"I guess the crash-into-greeting is probably going to become a staple for us someday." – Marinette remarked sheepishly as Kagami helped her get up from the pavement.   
  
"I see why no one else found out about your exploits just yet – a klutz like you is hardly the first suspect they would have. " – The hazel-eyed girl teased in response. She certainly felt like this was as good a time as any to take Marinette's advice to "loosen up", starting with small steps in that direction. Though, judging by the bluntness of Kagami's tone hardly conveying that she wasn't serious, her social awkwardness wasn't completely gone just yet.   
  
Figuring that Kagami didn't mean it as an insult, yet still feeling the awkward atmosphere in the air, Marinette couldn't think of any better response than blurting out "All part of the masquerade, you know!", keeping her voice low enough so no one else would catch on to the subject of their conversation.  
  
"Okay now, maybe it is for the best that we talk about something else, then." – The fencer replied in an attempt to defuse the atmosphere a bit. And just like that, Marinette figured she'd tell Kagami about how things were going for her in the past few days, withholding a few details such as what came with her position as a new guardian of the Miracle Box, whilst the hazel-eyed girl was mostly left with her own thoughts as she listened in.  
  
One thing was a heat-of-the-moment kiss shortly after finding out about her crush's double life, yet a proper, actual romantic date… Well, despite looking forward to it so madly minutes before, now Kagami realized she certainly had a serious lack of experience on the matter. Even during her sorta-relationship with Adrien, she hardly had any proper dating experience whatsoever, with them only meeting up during fencing lessons, and the few legitimate dates, if she could call them that – they did mostly happen before they even officially "started" their relationship – were mostly them going off their usual schedules and running off somewhere else to hang out… Yet looking back on it now, things hardly progressed between Kagami and Adrien in the days after the Loveater incident. Adrien didn't even bother asking his sorta-girlfriend out on a date during one of the few off days she had, and If anything, they only seemed to have gotten even more distant after establishing their relationship, not even bothering with at least any small talk after a fencing practice session.  
  
Kagami sighed as she thought back to her and Adrien's break-up. Even if they left on a high note, that break-up seemed just as void of substance as the relationship itself was…

* * *

"We need to talk about our relationship. Specifically, it's current state, as it seems it's just not working between us whatsoever." – Kagami remarked as she approached her fencing partner, who seemed to be a tad lost in thought, waiting on one of the locker room benches.  
  
No response from the blond whatsoever, other than a resigned sigh. And he didn't seem at all thrilled with the question Kagami was about to ask him, if his distraught expression was of any indication.  
  
"I can clearly see it. You only decided to keep this "relationship" up just so you won't break my heart, right? " – It was one of the rare times that Kagami's usual bluntness wasn't present as she asked that question, instead giving way to slight, yet noticeable concern.  
  
"It's… Complicated, to say the least. You probably wouldn't understand if I told you how it really is. " – The blond finally responded as Kagami sat just next to him.  
  
"You still haven't answered my question, you know. " – Pressing the matter like this seemed to drive an even further wedge between Kagami and Adrien, as the blond just turned to face away from her, with Kagami clearly managing to catch a glimpse of regret in his expression. Seeing that she wasn't getting an actual answer to her question anytime soon, the lady sighed and added: "Which brings me to my exact point – maybe it's for the best if we stop trying to keep this relationship up. Break up, if you will. It's just not going anywhere whatsoever anyway, and it's basically hanging on loose chains. Not to mention, I can clearly see **who** your heart belongs to." – She briefly added under her breath "The one person whose heart I had to break to get together with you…" (_Looking back on it now, she realized she was very, very wrong with that assumption…_) before continuing on with her speech: "So perhaps it's better to stop this before everything gets worse. Part ways on a high note, so to speak. I do hope we can still be friends after… That, however. "  
  
"Guess that would be best, then. " – Was Adrien's only reply as he got up from the bench. As the blond went to leave the locker room and headed to exit the fencing academy, Kagami sighed tiredly, resting her head on her hands.  
  
**"Well, at least we let each other off easy."** – that thought was basically the only thing keeping Kagami from being emotionally vulnerable enough to attract any incoming akumas that day. 

* * *

"At least we let each other off easy…" – Kagami echoed off, and that seemed to attract Marinette's attention. Realizing what she just blurted out, the fencer immediately looked away from Marinette in embarrassment.  
  
"What was that?" – Marinette asked, seeing as Kagami interrupted her just as she was busy talking about how things were going between the couples in her class.  
  
"Nothing worth your concern." – The fencer snapped off coldly, attempting not to make any eye contact with Marinette.  
  
"You're… Still thinking about Adrien, aren't you?" – The blunette asked, seeming worried for her girlfriend, and it seemed that Kagami's cold facade had just taken a hit as a result of that question.  
  
"Well…Don't get me wrong, I am not going back to **him** anytime soon. If anything, I think breaking up with **him** and parting ways on a high note was one of my better life decisions." – The hazel-eyed lady elaborated in a somewhat tired tone, yet given Marinette's still worried look, she continued: "Even then, I still want to find out who this "**third girl**" he's crushing so badly on."  
  
"You… Wish to know if she's really better than either one of us?" – Marinette asked confusedly.  
  
"More like I want to know **how much of a moron** he is to leave someone as **beautiful** as you behind." – Once again was Kagami blurting out things she didn't mean to say, and considering that she just spoke that one aloud, not under her breath as she intended…  
  
Cue the borderline **pterodactyl screech** from Marinette. One that couldn't help but make Kagami chuckle.  
  
"Wow, if you react like that to all compliments, I might want to get a pair of earplugs for use on later dates." – She added, attempting to defuse the awkward atmosphere yet again. It seemed to work at least a tiny bit, as Marinette stammered back, attempting to calm down: "B-but then you won't hear the compliments I w-would be giving to you once I'm done f-freaking out, right?"  
  
"No one said anything about not using hand signals to warn me when it's safe, though."  
  
As the two girls laughed it off afterwards, and their conversation on the way to the cinema hall segued to a more light-hearted topic – specifically, Marinette wondering how her classmates would react to finding out the news about her change of targets – Kagami practically felt as if the metaphoric chains she spent the entirety of her conscious life in began loosening up.

**Almost even more so than with Adrien…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie - this chapter took way too long. From several different revisions, to the sheer amount of work I was buried in for the past few weeks, I hardly had any time to work on it.   
Also, I feel like this NEEDS to be adressed, despite not being related to the story or it's progress - I've made a few rather spiteful comments on certain Marigami fics recently, mostly salt fics. I certainly didn't mean any real ill will towards the authors themselves, it's just that I've been a tad... Afraid that these fics would give newcomers the wrong idea and scare them off of the Marigami pairing. And being overworked kinda results in me lashing out at things that end up ticking me off. So, sorry if I've hurt anyone with these kinds of comments.


	11. Chronograph - Part 1

"You’re probably the only person I know who would fall asleep in the middle of a movie action scene."   
  
Needless to say, Marinette and Kagami's date wasn't really that much about the movie they went to see – neither of them was much of a fan of the Majestia-verse, and even as relative newcomers they barely found the movie proper to be at all engaging, so it was not much of a surprise that Marinette nearly fell asleep in her seat midway through, due to equal parts boredom and just feeling tired over the last few days in general.   
  
This wasn't even the physical kind of exhaustion, or the kind one would suffer from overusing a damaged Miraculous, but rather an emotional one. A lot has been happening over the past month or so – from Marinette officially becoming one of the Guardians, to further falling out with her (now former) crush, to nearly losing a recently-gained friendship…   
  
The blue-eyed girl was still feeling tired of all that was going on, and that day, she outright **prayed** silently to whatever higher power was out there that she would have a quiet, normal day for once, without any akumas, sentimonsters, or rogue Miraculous wielders.   
  
Deciding not to bother Kagami with her inner turmoil, seeing as the fencer already showed earlier that she had some of her own problems to deal with, Marinette instead remarked: "Yeah, I'm not really a fan of the Majestia-verse. When you've been a superhero yourself on near-daily basis, you begin to lose any appreciation for movies of the genre. They make it either look too easy, or go the full gritty route to the point where** your** exploits seem like a walk in the park compared to what is going on in these movies. No middle ground whatsoever. "   
  
"Well, given that there are two production studios basically playing ping-pong with the license to the Majestia movie franchise, what else did you expect?" - Seeing a look on Marinette's face that was an odd mix of drowsy and shocked, the hazel-eyed lady explained: "Ran a quick background check on the movie's production details just prior to the date. Just because I'm isolated from the outside world almost all the time doesn't mean I can't keep up to date on what studios to support and which are better off boycotted, right?"  
  
Giggling sleepily at her girlfriend's attempt to lighten the mood, Marinette leaned to the side as to snuggle up to Kagami, placing her head on the other girl's shoulder.   
  
"Either way, this date is less about the movie, and more about the good time we're having, right?" – The fencer quipped, with Marinette nodding in agreement.   
  
"Yeah, and I have to admit - having you by my side does feel far more comforting than it was before." – The blunette replied drowsily, leaning her head on Kagami's shoulder, with the hazel-eyed girl leaning in to give her a light kiss on the cheek before turning her attention back to the movie.   
  
**If only the quiet date would actually last…**

* * *

Getting woken up by shrill, distant screaming (that was clearly not part of the audio from the movie she was watching) was very clearly not what Marinette needed.   
  
"Was what that?" – She blurted out half-awake, noticing that Kagami also practically jumped up from her seat at the noise.   
  
"Attention to all visitors! An akuma has been located in the theater! Please remain calm and proceed to the exit!" – A pre-recorded message cleared the situation up, and it was at that exact moment that the movie screen in the cinema hall also shut off. – "Everyone stay calm and evacuate the premises!"  
  
"So much for the movie date, huh?" – Kagami quipped, trying to stay calm in an otherwise tense situation whilst the rest of the viewers in the cinema rushed right for the exit.   
  
"Ugh, guess I just can't catch a break, after all." – Marinette remarked dejectedly as her girlfriend helped her out of her seat.   
  
"So, are we going to wait for the crowd to just run out of here and leave us behind so that you can transform safely, or do you plan on rushing off somewhere else in all the commotion?" – Before Kagami could even get an answer out of her girlfriend, she was interrupted by yet more panicked screams coming from the main hall, which were almost immediately overlapped by a distorted, mechanical voice… That spouted off some random non-sequitur: **_"(It's a very specialized field!)_**"  
  
"Well, that was random." – Marinette deadpanned as she heard yet more non-sequiturs from the supposed villain/sentimonster, as the screams of the panicking crowds began to slowly die down as well – no doubt as a result of the creature culling their numbers. – "Uh-oh. That's not good, not good at all..."  
  
"There's no point dwelling on what happened to these people." – Tikki quipped as she floated out of the purse. The kwami knew that Marinette and Kagami were the only ones present at the cinema hall, and given that she was well aware of her wielder's little slip-up, saw no problem with showing up when Kagami was around. - "Right now, what matters is not how you could have prevented it, but how you're going to fix it."  
  
"You're right. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Shortly after the usual transformation, Marinette was just about to run right after the then-unseen threat, until…  
  
"So, anything that **I **should do to help?" – Kagami asked, making Marinette freeze in her tracks. She silently debated that question for a bit, before sighing, turning back to face her, and…  
  
"**Head for the emergency exit and wait outside**. I don't want that… Thing to get you as well." – Ladybug responded, and that… Didn't seem to be a satisfying answer to Kagami.   
  
"And leave you out there alone to fight that thing? " – The fencer asked, the note of protest in her voice being as obvious as it could get. – "Like hell I am going to just turn tail and run! "  
  
"Kagami, no offense, but remember the last time you followed the same logic? Specifically, when a certain disgruntled guitarist came right our way during an otherwise quiet day." – Marinette quipped back, yet realizing that Kagami probably didn't remember what happened with Desperada, she elaborated, even demonstrating it with a bunch of gestures as she spoke: "You ran at Desperada with nothing but a microphone pole, and got zapped for your troubles before you could even take a step. You also spent quite a "fun" day as a sticker on that psychopath's guitar case, too. So unless you feel like having a repeat of a similar situation, you **will** head for the emergency exit **and wait outside**, until everything clears up." - After a few moments of pause, seeing that Kagami's expression hasn't shifted one bit, Marinette added, in a softer tone: "**Please.** "  
  
At first, Kagami just wanted to protest again, but seeing that her girlfriend had a point on the matter, she sighed and remarked: "Fine. Just try to make it quick. I don't want to worry myself sick over you."  
  
"I'll do my best, trust me on that one. Besides, I'm not going to be out there all alone after all. " – The red-clad heroine quipped back (adding "Provided Cat Noir won't be too slow" under her breath shortly after that last sentence), placing her hands on Kagami's shoulders as she gave her a gentle smile.   
  
_Kami almighty, this just brought the hazel-eyed girl back to when Marinette briefly went to comfort her after purifying her… How could she not understand what she really felt when the heroine looked at her back there? _  
  
_…Okay, no time for reminiscences.   
  
_"Just as well. And I know that asking you to retrieve the Dragon again is pointless, seeing as the second time was more of a fluke than anything, so I guess I'll try to wait it out." – Sure, on the outside, Kagami was agreeing with Marinette's plan, yet on the inside, she just felt like her insides were freezing out of sheer worry for her girlfriend. As much as Marinette wanted to question the "fluke" part, she decided it would be best to leave that one for later.   
  
"Why am I even worrying myself so madly over her, anyway? She's Ladybug, for crying out loud, she can handle anything! She's fought things that are completely beyond my comprehension, and had several experiences with outright **apocalyptic** akumas and sentimonsters alike, so why am I so worried for her?!" – Kagami thought as Marinette let go of her and she raced for the emergency exit, whilst the other girl headed right for the main one instead.   
  
"**Whatever the case… Just please, be careful out there, Mari-hime…**" – was the primary thought in Kagami's mind as she saw Ladybug disappear behind the other pair of doors.

* * *

"(**_Creating, thinking, feeling, doing!)_**_"_  
  
Soon enough, as Marinette exited into the main hall of the theatre, and could see just what she was facing, she couldn't help but wonder if Mayura had a fever dream while she was creating that… Thing.  
  
The sentimonster – and it was very obvious it wasn't just some poor akumatized sod with an unhealthy obsession with gramophones, given that it just looked too… Unnatural to be a mere akuma victim – was something right out of a fever dream for sure. A giant worn-out gramophone with eight metallic spider legs, a lamprey mouth in place of the turntable, and an odd clock looking as if it was lodged inside the horn. The fact that it kept spouting non-sequiturs from some old-timey motivational song did not do anything to alleviate the "right out of a fever dream" vibe the sentimonster gave off, either.   
  
"Okay… Better call Cat Noir right away, then." – Marinette remarked, ducking behind a nearby buffet counter, dialing up Cat Noir whilst the creature was still distracted picking off survivors.  
  
"You're going to bring them back when you defeat it… You're going to bring them back when you defeat it…" - The blunette muttered to herself repeatedly, so as to lessen the effect from seeing and hearing various people get outright disintegrated into nothingness by the sentimonster's attacks - either by the creature impaling them clean through, or by virtue of some strange soundwave attack - whilst she was busy calling up Cat Noir. Sadly, the Black Cat hero seemed unavailable at the moment, making Marinette tense up even further. Worse yet was that she couldn't even see the amokized object anywhere on that creature yet, and Mayura herself was nowhere to be found, either, so she figured she just needs to bide some time against the creature so it would show it's weakness…   
  
Only for Ladybug to suddenly feel like something just shifted very rapidly around her. The pre-recorded "Leave a message after the signal" voiceline that started less than a second ago suddenly ended on said signal, without the message proper playing out beforehand, and as the girl slowly turned around, she realized that not only was her hiding place reduced to dust…   
  
**But the sentimonster was looming right over her. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll let you figure out what the sentimonster was inspired by. All I can say is that it's based on a minor enemy from a certain indie horror game.


	12. Chronograph - Part 2

As Kagami ran out of the movie theater and ended up in a rather dingy back alley, she leaned her back against the door she just exited through and sighed.   
  
Even though it was on Marinette's direct plead, the hazel-eyed girl still couldn't help but feel like she abandoned her girlfriend to deal with the danger on her own.   
  
Some first date this turned out to be!   
  
And since Hawk Moth knew about Kagami's identity as Ryuuko, what were the odds that the akuma attack or whatever wasn't targeted at that specific theater solely because Kagami was going for a movie date there? After all, considering what kind of machinations Hawk Moth pulled with Chloe beforehand, Kagami couldn't help but wonder if that villain was instead trying to get her out of the way rather than to persuade her to switch sides – especially because the fencer swore that she certainly wasn't going to be so easily swayed, so-  
  
"Something the matter, _mademoiselle Tsurugi_?"  
  
Now there's a voice she didn't expect to interrupt her thoughts today, but one she, admittedly, hoped to hear sooner or later.   
  
Looking up and seeing Cat Noir on the roof of a nearby building, and shortly after taking a couple deep breaths to calm down, Kagami asked, with a noticeably irritated tone: "Where have you been? Ladybug's busy fighting the current akuma entirely on her own, said akuma has been obliterating civilians left and right, and chances are that Ladybug is-" – Before Kagami could even finish reprimanding Cat Noir, the leather-clad hero already jumped down, shoved her aside, and ran right into the building, uttering some random quip that she didn't bother to pay much attention to.   
  
"…Likely outmatched. Huh. So that's how Marinette must've felt when I didn't bother to listen to Longg relaying her plan to me." – The fencer finished dryly, crossing her arms, soon going back to agonizingly waiting for Marinette to show up, either temporarily retreating or having ended up victorious over… Whatever the current threat was.   
  
As Kagami stood there, she couldn't help but think back to her time as Ryuuko.   
  
Sure, she screwed up horribly during her first outing, and the second one only happened because of a mistake (no thanks to Marinette's poor judgement, but Kagami preferred not to get on the blunette's case for that), but still… She couldn't help but admit that there was just **something appealing** to being Ryuuko. Maybe the fierce nature of the Dragon Miraculous appealed to her inner rebel, maybe it was the possibility of fighting by the heroes' side instead of just staying in the sidelines that thrilled her…  
  
Or maybe it was knowing that she could easily protect those she cared about.   
  
Specifically, protect her **_hime_**_. _  
  
And yet now, without any powers, and outright told by the one person she wanted to protect to leave them be…   
  
**What good was she in Mari-hime's eyes?**

* * *

Just as the phonograph sentimonster was about to impale Marinette – the girl could swear she had her life flash before her eyes the moment the creature reared up – it suddenly jerked back, letting out an odd, strangled sound, as if it was being reined in by some unseen force.   
  
"Perhaps giving this particular sentimonster so much power at the expense of making it no smarter than your average house spider was far from a smart move after all."   
  
Oh, Marinette could recognize that voice from miles away.   
  
After all, Mayura's voice that radiated equal parts stoicism and condescension was impossible to confuse with anyone else's.   
  
"Chronograph, leave her be for now. I understand that you're still hungry, but I still need to retrieve a little something from her first." – The villainess continued further, emerging from somewhere where Marinette clearly couldn't notice her before.   
  
Well, the situation only got more intense. Ladybug was basically stuck between a sentimonster and a hard place, seeing that Chronograph had instead chosen to trap her against the wall, and she had little doubt that Mayura was going to let her go so easily.   
  
"So allow me to clear something up, little bug. You'll hand me your Miraculous – and I'll promise I won't feed you to my pet over here right away. Maybe I'll even be generous enough to give you enough of a head start to get away from it – a whole **ten seconds**, to be precise." – The villainess elaborated yet further as she approached the cornered girl. As if emphasizing her point, Chronograph added: "**_(It's only good when people listen.)_**"  
  
"Don't even count on it, Mayura. Just because I'm cornered doesn't mean I can't-" – Before Marinette could finish her phrase, she felt like everything shifted around her again. And suddenly, Mayura was uncomfortably close to her, with Chronograph now keeping the red-clad heroine trapped in with the villainess.   
  
"You're just **wasting time** with your banter, Ladybug. You've got nowhere to run now, and trying to fight back will just result in me tossing you right over to Chronograph over here. " - And just as Mayura was about to reach for Ladybug's earrings…  
  
**Clang!  
  
**"**_(And it's no good!)_**" – Chronograph staggered out as it attempted to keep up balance, failing and overbalancing right into Mayura and pinning her to the ground by accident… With Ladybug just barely managing to slip out of the way whilst the villainess was busy having a peacock-in-headlights moment before the crash.   
  
"Sorry, I'm a little late to the **movie date**. " – Chat Noir quipped, twirling his staff around and just looking smug as all heck whilst Ladybug approached him.   
  
"Normally it's ladies running late to the party, not the gentlecats." - Marinette quipped back as she went over to Cat Noir, deciding not to mention just how close the Black Cat superhero was with that "movie date" remark.   
  
"I just didn't get an invite is all." – Adrien added, shrugging, whilst Mayura was busy trying to get out from under the sentimonster. – "I was going on my usual day patrol, and the next thing I know, I get an akuma alert, and to top it all off, I suddenly noticed Kagami standing right at one of this movie theater's emergency exits. She told me what happened, and, well, here we are."  
  
Figuring that this warranted a discussion at a later time, when the two could talk without any danger around them or a timer to restrict them, Ladybug took a few more good looks at Mayura and Chronograph. **  
**  
Whilst Mayura was busy trying to pry the sentimonster off of herself with one hand, Ladybug noticed her reaching for something else with another.   
  
Specifically, a phonograph keychain.   
  
"I figured she would carry the amokized object around on her persona **yet again**." – Marinette quipped, subtly pointing to the aforementioned keychain.   
  
"Yes, and we better seize the moment now! Catacl-"  
  
Once again did Marinette have to pull Cat Noir back by his fake tail.   
  
"Not until we bait it out for another of it's… Weird timeshift shenanigans." – Seeing the blond's confused stare, Marinette elaborated: "This sentimonster can somehow stop time. Or not, I don't really know. It's like… Several seconds just pass by, and yet you don't even notice anything happening until after it takes effect!"  
  
The other thing that caught Marinette's eye was the crank on Chronograph's side, that constantly moved as if it was… Winding down or something. Ladybug was almost certain that the crank was somehow relevant to Chronograph's time-shift abilities.   
  
"So basically, this thing was created from the emotions of someone who was a bit too obsessed with absentmindedly listening to old music. Got it." – Cat Noir quipped back, part sarcastic, part serious.   
  
"In layman's terms, yes." – The red-clad heroine deadpanned in response, and soon went on to cast Lucky Charm whilst Mayura was distracted, figuring that rushing in head-first was only going to end with things going even more awry.   
  
The item produced by Ladybug's power was… Nothing quite like the usual items she would get.   
  
Sure, it wasn't the first time Ladybug ended up getting an actual weapon from using Lucky Charm, but to get a fencing rapier, of all things, was not what she had expected.   
  
"Wow! You lucked out big time!" – Cat Noir quipped, admiring the rapier. Ladybug was quite unsure what to do with that particular item, though.   
  
Until, upon inspecting the hilt more closely, she noticed something on it.  
  
**The Tsurugi family crest. **  
  
"And here I was, telling Kagami to run off and not get involved. Oops." – Marinette mouthed under her breath, realizing that she just ended up throwing a wrench into her own plans a couple moments prior. It seemed that she had to head right for the very same person she dismissed earlier.   
  
Not only that, but by the time Marinette finished analyzing the Lucky Charm item, Mayura already managed to retrieve the amokized object **and** the crank on Chronograph's right side stopped winding down.   
  
"Get them!"  
  
A sudden shift in time. The sentimonster was right in front of Ladybug and Cat Noir again, with the duo just barely managing to dodge another of Chronograph front-legs strikes.   
  
"Cat Noir, hold them off! I'll be right back! " – Marinette remarked, running off while Cat Noir was busy basically fighting on two fronts – dodging Mayura's fan strikes and parrying Chronograph's claws, to be specific.  
  
"Just as well, I have no interest in going off anywhere during **intermissions. **" – The black cat hero quipped back in his usual playful tone, shrugging and barely avoiding getting socked in the face by Mayura, whilst Ladybug beelined right for the front door.   
  
"**Just have to make sure no one would be tailing me on the way to my own home...**"

* * *

As Kagami continued waiting in that same alley, she couldn't help but worry herself sick.   
  
Granted, the hazel-eyed girl knew full well that Mari-hime… That **Ladybug** was a capable fighter, and that she handled even the worst akumatized villains out there way, way before Kagami even arrived to Paris, and yet still…   
  
A part of Kagami's conscience just kept pestering her about running away like this.   
  
Even if Marinette herself pleaded her to stay back, even if it was to stay out of danger as to not risk getting erased from existence or worse, even if Marinette had a reliable ally by her side and probably didn't need Ryuuko at that exact moment…   
  
**No.  
  
**No, she was not going to just sit there and wait until the battle just resolves itself.   
  
**She had to act. **  
  
"Miraculous or no Miraculous, I am not going to leave her to fight there all alone!" – Kagami loudly declared, almost immediately reaching for the bokken in her bag. Sure, it was anything but practical at this very moment… But right now, she hardly had much in the way of weapon options, and all that mattered to her was saving Marinette.   
  
**Saving her** **_hime_**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, talk about having a bit too much fun over the winter holidays, to the point of forgetting to work on this fic sometimes.   
Admittedly, while I still had fun writing this particular chapter, I ended up revising certain segments several times over before I finally (seemingly) got it right. Here's hoping it's not too much of a mess, though.


	13. Chronograph - Part 3

In her attempts to make sure no-one would follow her through the streets as she made her way back home, Marinette had to take some seriously confusing twists and turns during her way home as to make sure she would throw off any pursuers. This time, she had a legitimate reason to not detransform, as giving any extra reasons for suspicion to her **parents** was not on the list of things she wanted to happen that day.  
  
As she shut the trapdoor leading from the roof and into her room, Marinette almost immediately went to retrieve the Miracle Box from under her bed, trying not to make any noise as to not alert her parents. The blunette knew that she and Cat Noir wouldn't be able to defeat Chronograph on their own, and so they needed an extra ally.  
  
Given that she hardly had time to seek out any of the prior holders or to look for a newcomer, especially given how much of said time she wasted trying to leave several false trails on her way home, she knew she had to turn to the one option that, at that moment, seemingly made the most sense. Especially given how, out of all the prior-used Miraculous Powers, only Elemental Storm seemed like a decent option – if not as part of one of her plans, then in direct combat at least. The metallic part of Chronograph's body was probably quite conductive, after all…  
  
"Here I am, breaking the identity rule yet again." – Marinette remarked as she reached for the Dragon choker, looking over it for a bit. – "Yet with all honesty, I don't feel nearly as apprehensive about it this time as I did back when dealing with Heart Hunter."  
  
"Remember, Marinette, the choice is up to you in it's entirety. If you truly believe that Kagami is a worthy holder of the Dragon, and that help is necessary in the current situation, then perhaps not even the identity rule can get between Tsurugi-sama and her righteous duty." – Longg cut in as soon as he emerged from the Dragon Miraculous. – "That being said, I do hope you have an actual plan unlike last time."  
  
"Both Ryuuko's weapon and her powers are going to play a pivotal role in this fight. The sword is necessary to cut Chronograph's crank off, so as to test my theory about it affecting the creature's time-shifting powers. Whether it works or not, all that would be necessary after that part of the plan is to incapacitate Chronograph with careful usage of the Elemental Storm, saving Lightning Dragon for last. After that, one of us will retrieve the amokized object from Mayura – given she wouldn't have anyone to back her up, unless Hawk Moth decides to send in an akumatized villain of some sort, this should be the easy part – Cat Noir will break it with Cataclysm if necessary, I'll purify the amok, and we'll hopefully retrieve the Peacock Miraculous while we're at it." – Marinette explained, tucking the small box containing the Dragon choker into her purse, with Longg disappearing midway through her explanation, leaving her to basically relay the plan to herself by that point.  
  
"**I just hope I can relay the plan just as clearly to Ryuuko and Cat Noir…"**

* * *

In the meantime, Cat Noir was still busy fighting off Mayura and Chronograph, though now the tides have definitely turned in the villains' favor – sure, Chronograph's time-shift ability had recently gone on a lengthy cooldown, allowing Cat Noir to basically run circles around the Sentimonster, but with Mayura backing the creature up and compensating for it's lack of maneuverability with attacks of her own, the black cat superhero was both outnumbered and outmatched.  
  
"Hey, you!"  
  
Well, Adrien couldn't mistake that voice for anyone else's.  
  
"I am not going to run off this time. _En garde!_" – Kagami shouted out, brandishing her bokken and seeming fully intent to go against Mayura with nothing but a wooden sword.  
  
"Kagami! Please, stay out of this! " – Cat Noir exclaimed, only to just barely avoid another lunge from Chronograph. As for Mayura, however…  
  
"Well, isn't that interesting. I doubt that you are nearly as capable with just a practice weapon as you were with one of the most powerful Miraculous out there, though. And without Ladybug around, you won't make even the slightest difference. " – Mayura remarked smugly, trying to get through to Kagami in one way or another. – "But I suppose I might just humor you while that alley cat is busy with my pet and the little insect is running all over the city, trying to find any of her allies – **provided they weren't all scared off upon finding out that Hawk Moth now knows all about them**."  
  
"So that explains why Marinette never called upon any of the side heroes lately…" – Kagami thought, yet her determined expression hardly even faltered as she charged forth at Mayura.  
  
Sure, Kagami was an extraordinary fencer, and was just as experienced in kendo, but going up against a Miraculous-wielding villain with just a bokken was probably amongst her worst decisions. The sole reason Mayura just didn't figuratively rip her to shreds was the fact that the villainess was clearly holding back – merely biding her time until Cat Noir would end up tired out and left wide open to a coordinated attack from her and Chronograph.  
  
Not that Kagami was losing, mind you – in fact, for the first half of the fight, it appeared that the initiative wasn't going to either side, trapping the villainess and the fencer in a stalemate. And given what Mayura told her a couple moments ago, Kagami knew that she had a reason to, if not outright knock Mayura unconscious, then at least hold out as much as she could.  
  
However, the battle still eventually progressed in Mayura's favor, especially given that soon enough, Chronograph had gotten Cat Noir cornered, and the villainess almost immediately ditched Kagami the moment she noticed, knocking the wind out of the girl's lungs with a single well-timed strike and leaving her behind as she fell to her knees, gasping for air and feeling slightly dazed. 

* * *

"Kagami!" – Marinette called out yet again, looking all over the cinema hall through which the other girl had previously escaped, yet not finding any signs of her girlfriend's presence whatsoever. – "Kagami!"  
  
Upon realizing just where the hazel-eyed girl might have gone off to, the red-clad heroine sighed and remarked: "Oh, Kagami… You and your impulsiveness…"  
  
Noticing one of the main entrances to the cinema hall suddenly opening up, Ladybug almost immediately rushed over there and, upon noticing Kagami, who seemingly practically crawled over to said entrance a few moments prior, asked: "Kagami, are you alright?"  
  
"Oh… There you are, Mari-hime." – The hazel-eyed girl replied, her tone seeming almost relieved, yet given that she was still breathing heavily, it was evident that she had gotten herself into quite a fight, and didn't come out on top to boot. As Marinette practically pulled her back into the hall after helping her get up, she asked: "I take it I'll have to use a different Miraculous instead of the Dragon this time, right?"  
  
"Actually…" – Marinette immediately pulled the small jewelry case out of the usual hammerspace in her yo-yo, and soon placed the Dragon choker right in Kagami's hand, taking in a few seconds of hand contact more than necessary before breaking away, playfully remarking afterwards: "Admittedly, at first, I felt like going in as Dragonbug a second time, and instead relocate you somewhere safe, buuuut I didn't want everything to end up in some sort of hypothetical "Dragon Empress" scenario, so-"  
  
Taking the Dragon Miraculous and shushing the other girl, Kagami nodded and remarked: "Now, now, you know I wouldn't set you up like this. Even if Dragon Empress does sound like an awesome villain name."  
  
"Not to seem rude or impatient, Tsurugi-sama, but I believe we have hero duty to fulfill at this moment. " – Longg remarked, having appeared midway through the girls' speech.  
  
"You're right. **Longg, bring the storm!"**

* * *

The sudden wind blowing in the main hall was not what Mayura expected when her hand was mere inches away from Cat Noir's ring, yet she was quick to realize just what this wind could possibly mean.  
  
And the instant a certain someone began re-materializing from said wind, mere inches behind Mayura and Chronograph, the villainess's suspicions were confirmed.   
  
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Ladybug has a bigger fondness for Ryuuko than for you, kitten. Either way, I might as well high-tail it out of here. " – Mayura remarked, and, knowing that fiddling with Cat Noir's ring was going to leave her wide open for an attack from Ryuuko, jumped out of the way as to make a run for it and let Chronograph take care of the rest…  
  
Only for Ryuuko to slash the sentimonster's crank right off the moment the creature turned around to face her, with it just barely avoiding overbalancing into Mayura again. And it turned out that Marinette's theory was correct, as, upon getting back on even footing, Chronograph immediately reared up in preparation for another time-shift… Only to merely slam it's front legs into the floor uselessly, uttering a confused **_"(Is that good?)" _**afterwards.  
  
"Oh no, you won't!" – Adrien called out, going after Mayura whilst Ryuuko was busy fighting off the significantly-weakened sentimonster, with Ladybug herself soon showing up.  
  
"It's incapacitated for now, Ladybug. Mayura's getting away with the amok, but Cat Noir's already after her. As for us, we've got a sentimonster to get rid of." – Kagami explained as soon as Marinette jumped in.  
  
The red-clad heroine nodded in confirmation, and almost immediately used her Lucky Charm…  
  
Getting a large coil of polka-dotted wire as a result.  
  
"A bit more practical than bath bombs, at least." – Ryuuko deadpanned as she and Ladybug looked over the item after creating some distance between themselves and Chronograph. Whilst Ryuuko kept trying to keep Chronograph at a safe distance, circling around it, Marinette looked around, trying to find a way to use the Lucky Charm she got.  
  
**The sentimonster's metal legs.**  
  
**The lightning insignia on Ryuuko's costume.  
  
The coil of wire in her hand. **  
  
The plan came together surprisingly easily.  
  
"And quite **conductive **to our success, too."

* * *

Try as he might, Cat Noir still had a hard time catching up to Mayura, especially after she made her way over to the emergency exit from the cinema hall and practically slammed the door shut in his face. And just when he exited the theater through said emergency exit afterwards…  
  
Mayura was nowhere to be seen. Not on the rooftops, not on the street… There weren't even any traces of her being in that specific street.  
  
Really, the only hint that Mayura hasn't disappeared completely was the amokized phonograph keychain lying right in front of the exit door.  
  
"Looks like even the Peacock knows to **fold it's feathers** when the time is right." – the black cat hero quipped, shrugging as he took the amokized object, snapping it in half with surprising ease. Not feeling like finding out what would happen if an unpurified amok is left unattended, he almost immediately used Cataclysm on the feather, resulting in it disintegrating into black dust in his hand.  
  
**Well, at least that was out of the way.**

* * *

"Alright, I've got it coiled up! Ryuuko, **Lightning Dragon, now!"**  
  
Moments before the amok was destroyed for good, the other heroes were actually already on the verge of defeating Chronograph. With the creature's legs being tied up in wire after Kagami and Marinette circled it a few times, leaving it unable to move, all that was needed was a sufficiently strong jolt of electricity, and the Dragon heroine was going to provide exactly that.  
  
"**Lightning Dragon!**" – Ryuuko called out, a sudden surge of energy rushing through her body as it lost corporeality not unlike when she used Wind Dragon, except this time, she felt herself become a literal lightning. She almost instantly surged forward, ready to deal the final blow on the sentimonster…  
  
Only for the creature to suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke, uttering a glitched**_"(It's as simple as that.)"_** as it did.  
  
Marinette just barely had time to realize what just happened, letting go of the uncoiled wire and jumping out of the way.  
  
Thankfully, Kagami completely whizzed past both her and the uncoiled wire, instead merely hitting a wall… Yet the resulting surge of electricity ended up going throughout almost the entire movie theater by virtue of her accidentally hitting a particular wire, so by the time Kagami regained corporeality near that same wall, feeling a little dazed, all of the lights in the entire movie theater began outright blowing up from electricity overload.  
  
"Use Miraculous Ladybug, quickly!" – Kagami commanded as she snapped out of her daze and realized what she had just done, with her partner quickly complying.  
  
Sure enough, the ladybug swarm soon stopped the power surge together with the consequences of Chronograph's rampage, with all the theater-goers soon reappearing throughout the building, and all the traces of destruction caused by the fight against Chronograph being erased.  
  
And as much as Marinette wanted to find out whose emotions the sentimonster was created from, she felt far too exhausted to even bother herself with that question, let alone console whoever was the unlucky person, beelining to the main entrance together with Kagami instead, so as to go and find someplace where they both could detransform in peace.  
  
**That day was just way too busy for what they'd expected to be a quiet movie date day. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter turned out WAY longer than I expected it would. That said, the next few chapters will be a bit of a break from the "action", if you could even call it that. I do hope this particular chapter doesn't feel too rushed or all-over-the-place, though. It did kinda go through a metric ton of small revisions even moments before I posted it. 
> 
> And I hope Kagami getting to use the Dragon Miraculous again didn't come off as too much of an ass-pull. 
> 
> And, eh, I guess this chapter really did take too long to release, but given that I'm kinda dealing with a crapton of academic work right now... You get the point.
> 
> Oh, WONDERFUL. After updating, the damn thing didn't even remotely move up the fic list. You've got to be kidding me...


	14. More Tensions

"You know, Marinette… Ever since I've found out that you're Ladybug, I've had one specific question bothering me."  
  
The couple was currently waiting outside the theater, with Kagami having called Tomoe to send Tatsu over to pick them up, moments after Marinette had retrieved the Dragon Choker from Kagami. Marinette was left wondering why Cat Noir decided not to check up on her and Ryuuko after the battle was over – it appeared that he destroyed both the amokized item and the amok proper, explaining why Chronograph just poofed out of existence, yet where has Cat Noir gone off to afterwards was still a mystery – , and thus she felt she had some extra questions to ask him during that night's patrol.  
  
What Marinette didn't expect was for her girlfriend to start questioning her further. Not even bothering with a proper reply as she leaned on the other girl's shoulder, she uttered nothing but a questioning "Hmm?"  
  
"Is superhero duty really that difficult?" – Kagami elaborated, seeming to have tensed up a little after asking that question.  
  
"Depends on which Miraculous you're wielding, I suppose. Cat Noir has it easy – all he really has to do is distract the enemy, use Cataclysm when needed, and that's about it. The side heroes have it easy as well – all they really need to do is get in, fire off their respective power at the right time, and get out. No offense to you, of course. And then…"  
  
"And then there's you, who basically has to do all the attacking and defending." – Kagami continued for Marinette. – "Making sure to not get hit in any battle, especially when it's villains that can brainwash you or make you disappear from existence, purifying akumas, which has basically become near-daily routine for you, devising crazy plans using whatever weird item you got from the Lucky Charm, consoling akumatized civilians after they're purified, handing out Miraculouses to the side heroes…"  
  
"And recently, trying to get along with the new guardian." – The blunette decided that she and her hazel-eyed girlfriend weren't quite close enough for her to disclose that particular secret. Given that only she and Cat Noir knew about how she was the aforementioned guardian, she figured that this would be at least one secret that Kagami won't end up finding out too soon for comfort. – "And honestly, she seems to loathe me."  
  
"Why is that?" – Kagami asked, though it appeared she wouldn't be getting any actual answer – Tatsu soon arrived, and not only that, but it seemed that her mother decided to pick her up personally. Meaning that continuing their conversation was a no-go for now.  
  
"Even on your off days, you seem to get yourself into yet more and more trouble." – Tomoe remarked as the car window slowly lowered. – "But I guess this one **was** out of your control, and you both seem to be alive and in one piece, so I suppose I can't be too harsh on you. I also assume that the incident must have taken a bit of a toll on you two."  
  
"Nah, other than us getting nearly eaten alive by a phonograph with mechanical spider legs in the middle of a movie date, we're mostly fine." – Marinette deadpanned in a tired tone, making Tomoe slightly raise her eyebrow in suspicion.  
  
"She's not making that up." – Was the only thing that Kagami could add to Marinette's statement.  
  
After giving out a resigned sigh, the elder Tsurugi remarked: "With all that's been going on in Paris, I'm not even remotely surprised by that particular excuse. Either way, I take it we might need to take a detour to Marinette's home and drop her off there first, don't we now? Just tell me what's the address and we'll be off."

* * *

Well, this certainly felt awkward.  
  
While Tomoe did let Kagami and Marinette sit next to each other, and sat far enough away from Marinette, the older woman's imposing presence still left Marinette feeling a tad claustrophobic, to the point where she just barely stammered out a request to lower the car windows so she could breathe for a bit.  
  
If Marinette was almost entirely uninclined to keep up her conversation with Kagami before, now Tomoe's presence made her feel like just one wrong word would be enough for the woman to tell the car AI to stop and drop the blunette off right at some random street, without a single word of explanation. So Marinette was, in a way, contributing to the awkward silence she herself felt so discomforted with.  
  
Kagami also hardly felt like speaking up, either. Mostly because she didn't want to out Marinette's secret with just one bit of poor wording, but also because she didn't want to bother the obviously-tired girl any longer. And maybe because she didn't want any extra questions coming from her mother, that too.  
  
And as for Tomoe, she simply had nothing to say. As much as she wanted to find out more about her daughter's failed date, she knew that this would probably leave both girls even more tense and tired, and given that the tension in the air was already thick enough to cut it with a foil, the woman felt it would be unnecessary.  
  
So not counting Marinette's meek request to lower the car window on her side, the silence was only broken by the time Tatsu's usual mechanical voice said that they've arrived at one of the destinations. Specifically, at where Marinette's home was at.  
  
"Well, looks like that's it." – Marinette remarked, slowly getting out of the car. – "Sorry that I got your daughter into near-grave danger today, Tsurugi-sama."  
  
"I know it's not your fault, young lady. And neither it is my daughter's fault for trying to protect you back there." – Tomoe replied, her tone still staying rather cold, yet she didn't seem to have any actual hostility towards Marinette. – "As for you, Kagami, I admire your willingness to protect your _kanojo, _but getting yourself in the way of danger is far from a smart move."  
  
Marinette made a mental note to look that particular Japanese word up when she had time, whilst Kagami remarked: "I understand, mother. I was only trying my best to make sure my _hime_ wouldn't get hurt."  
  
Now, if Marinette wasn't feeling so down after her recent date, Kagami would have just capped it off on exiting the car to give her girlfriend a soft goodbye kiss and then head on right back home. Yet right now, seeing how exhausted the girl was, she asked Tomoe: "Actually, I need to stay back here for a bit. Marinette's not feeling all that well after today's incident, and-"  
  
"Kagami, it is your off day, sure, but you have quite a busy week ahead, and a lot of fencing training to catch up on, especially given your repeated schedule slippages. I cannot give you any extra free time until after you've made up for all the missed hours of training. " – Sure, Tomoe did try to be more lenient recently, but she still had strict standards set in place regarding her daughter's schedule either way.  
  
"I understand, mother." – Kagami remarked resignedly, then, turning to face Marinette one more time before closing the car window back up, remarked: "Sorry I had to leave you behind like this. **_Sore made, ja ne, Marinette_**_. _"  
  
"_Ja ne, Kagami._" – And as Marinette said that, the car window closed up for good, and soon the Tsurugis drove off. The blunette took a deep breath, and tried her best to put on a happy façade – something she, admittedly, gotten way too used to doing since the Miracle Queen incident.  
  
Just as she entered the building, however, she was almost immediately greeted by both her parents rushing right over to her, and barraging her with questions like "Are you alright?", "What happened at that movie theater?" and variations thereof.  
  
Thankfully, after telling her parents about the attack on the theater and capping off with a quick lie on how she and her "friend" just took cover in a storage shed until everything cleared up, Marinette managed to finally escape to the solace of her room.  
  
"So, when are you going to tell them?" – Tikki asked shortly after Marinette practically crashed down onto the bed and let out a lengthy, exhausted groan.  
  
"You mean about Kagami?" – Marinette asked back, and after the kwami nodded in confirmation, answered: "I honestly don't feel like telling them. My folks probably wouldn't have that much of a good opinion on a girl that I never even formally introduced to them before." - From there, as she practically shot up from her bed, her tone shifted to a somewhat irritated one as she wildly gestured around throughout her rant: "And besides, how am I going to tell them? Just drag Kagami out of her fencing training and into the bakery, and go all like "Hello mom, hello dad, this is my girlfriend Kagami, and yes, I know you thought I was entirely heterosexual, but there you have it!", that sort of thing?"  
  
"Is everything alright, Marinette?" – Sabine asked, peeking in and seeming quite concerned with her daughter's rambling to herself. At least it seemed like it, given that Tikki hid as quickly as she could.   
  
"Oh, uh… It's just… Nevermind." – Marinette didn't even bother with an excuse for the aforementioned rambling and just crashed right back down onto her bed.   
  
"Well, I wanted to ask a bit about the girl that supposedly accompanied you for that movie date. Because honestly, all Tom and I know about her is that she's recently become a close friend of yours and that she seemingly has an incredibly strict schedule, if your comment about today being her only off day of the week when you ran off this morning was of any indication. We didn't even get to see her in person today, too. " – The woman explained as she entered the room.  
  
"Right, about Kagami…" – Marinette looked off to the side, avoiding her mother's gaze and not wanting to talk about that one girl whom she nearly made a fool of during that one movie event out of pure jealousy. Sure, it was all in the past, and Kagami didn't seem to harbor any resentment at Marinette for it, but it still embarrassed her to no end.  
  
"Hazel-eyed, short blue hair, almost never smiles and constantly glares at everyone she sees?" – Sabine asked as if to confirm that they were talking about the same girl, with her daughter's response being a quiet nod. – "Tom and I thought you hated her, though?"  
  
"Past tense." – The blunette deadpanned, though she immediately punctuated that sentence with a resigned sigh, and, after an awkward pause, added: "Nowadays, however… It's kind of complicated."

Thankfully, it seemed that Sabine was more than willing to hear her daughter out:  
  
**"Just as well, Marinette. Then tell me all about it."**  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter than the previous chapters, but still closer to my usual 1500-2000 format. I do feel like I might've messed the pacing up here, but I didn't feel like extending this chapter for way more than it should've been, so yeah...  
Darky Out!


	15. Destress

While explaining the whole situation with Kagami to Sabine, Marinette tried to accomplish two main goals – keep details of her superhero life out of said explanation, and explain why she hadn't told her mother everything sooner.   
  
"And thus, Kagami and I only started dating today, though considering the few prior "friend dates" we've had with her, I think it's hardly our actual first date. And that's that." – The blunette breathed out as she finished her explanation, feeling somewhat calmer after having told her mother about at least some of her personal struggles. While it didn't completely lift the weight off Marinette's shoulders, it was still enough to make her feel a little less tense.   
  
"I guess that explains why you were so stressed lately – I guess it must have been a tad difficult not just moving on from your past crush, but also coming to terms with your new one, wasn't it?" – Sabine asked, with her daughter's reply being a resigned: "More like coming to terms with Kagami's crush on me…"  
  
"But you do like her back, right?" – The response the woman got to that question was Marinette's usual barrage of "Uh"s, "Oh"s, "Eh"s and "You see…"s before the younger blunette just barely squeaked out a "Yes" and exhaled deeply, letting Sabine continue: "You were afraid to tell me or your father because you were afraid of how we would react, right? Because in all honesty, there's no problem with that. If you're happy spending time with Kagami, and she really likes you that much, then I guess there's nothing to worry about."

"Thanks, mom." - Marinette replied, lightly chuckling. - "I guess next time Kagami gets a day off, I'll probably invite her over. Have you and _papa_ get to know her a little better, you know."  
  
"I'd be looking forward to it, and I'm sure Tom would like to get to know your girlfriend better, too, especially considering how... Invested in your love life he can be sometimes. As for now, I'm just glad we've resolved this." – And with that said, after giving her daughter a light reassuring hug, Sabine left and headed back downstairs, leaving Marinette alone for now. Or, well, alone with TIkki, for that matter.   
  
"I guess that solves the coming-out problem." – The kwami remarked as she emerged from Marinette's purse.   
  
"Yeah. But I still haven't solved the **guardian duty **problem." – Marinette quipped, once again plopping back down onto her bed. – "I just broke the identity rule for yet another time with Kagami today, and no guardian should ever play favorites like that! Not to mention I'm constantly endangering Kagami just by being near her! I'm sure today's date wouldn't be the first one ruined by a sudden akuma or sentimonster attack…"  
  
"You don't have to worry about Kagami so much, Marinette - she can protect herself well, and can put up quite a fight even without a Miraculous, let alone with one of the most powerful Zodiac ones. And if anything, you could always try switching up Miraculouses and giving her a new one in case things get awry. " – Tikki replied, attempting to calm her owner down. As if to further defuse the situation, she also added: "Besides, she is a lot more trustworthy unlike to that prior Bee wielder we shall not name, right?"  
  
Marinette chuckled in response and remarked: "Yeah, can't argue with that. But still, what of the others? They all had their identities blown during the whole Miracle Queen incident after all, so how do I handle them? "  
  
"That is something I can't really say much on. After all, you're the guardian, and you are the one who has to make all the decisions on which Miraculous should and shouldn't be handed out and to whom. Us kwamis usually have no say on the matter – even that one Lucky Charm that pointed to Kagami wasn't something I influenced in any way. All I can say is, I don't think you chose wrong with any of your candidates" – Shortly after finishing her reassuring speech, Tikki looked off to the side and added in a barely-audible tone: "Except for one, that is."  
  
"I suppose there is no other choice, then. None of the heroes will be retired for good… But I'll probably have to be a bit more careful with what Miraculous I distribute to whom, and only give them to their original candidates when the situation calls for it. When they're really necessary for the job. " – After saying that, Marinette paused for a moment and sighed in disappointment.   
  
"**Including Kagami from now on.**"

* * *

"_Konbanwa_, sorry for calling so late. Barely convinced my mother to extend my curfew by a few minutes, all just for this one phone call. "  
  
With the rest of the day up until late evening having been largely uneventful for both girls, Marinette was rather pleasantly surprised when Kagami called her up just before she was going to bed.   
  
"Eh, I was having trouble falling asleep anyway. Wanted anything in particular or just decided to talk about today's events?" – The blunette asked, with Kagami's response being a deadpan sarcastic "Just wanted to know if you were going on a patrol tonight, and wanted to ask you if you'd like Ryuuko to tag along, thanks for asking."  
  
Just as Marinette calmed down after laughing out loud at her girlfriend's little joke, with Kagami barely holding back her snickering herself, the latter girl added in a somewhat more normal tone: "Of course I just wanted to talk."  
  
And then in her usual, cold and serious one: "Specifically, about how tired out you seemed today. Something's telling me it's not just the usual tiredness from hero duty."  
  
"Yep, it's not just from hero duty. There's also trying to keep my good grades up in school, working on various design projects, helping my friends out with certain errands every now and again… I'm all kinds of buried, honestly." – Marinette's faux cheery tone gave out at that last sentence, giving way to outright exasperation and tiredness.   
  
"As much as I want to help you destress over the next week, I've already skimped on enough fencing practice lately, so chances are it won't be until the next weekend that we'd get to go out on another date." – Kagami replied in her usual brutally honest manner.  
  
"Eh, it's alright. Even calls like these still count for something. " – The other girl replied, chuckling. – "And I'm sure we'll be able to meet up every now and again whenever your fencing lessons on weekdays are done. Not to mention that-"  
  
"Kagami! You have one minute left before curfew, so don't take too long with that phone call! " – Tomoe's voice echoed on Kagami's end, with the woman clearly calling her out from further away, whilst Kagami herself groaned in frustration.   
  
"So much for lenience, huh?" – Marinette deadpanned in response.   
  
"Don't think my mom's going entirely soft just because you motivate me so much. She only eased up on **some** of the rules, not all of them. _Ja ne, Mari-hime._"  
  
"_Ja ne_." – The other blunette replied as she hanged up, and figured she might as well get to sleep herself.

**Well, she really had to start getting used to working around Kagami's restrictive schedule now... **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took too long, and had to be re-edited several times over. Here's hoping it didn't turn out to be too much of a trainwreck.


	16. Realization

The day after the unfortunate movie date, Marinette figured she might as well tell her class the news about Kagami, especially considering how she received several texts from Alya asking how her "solo movie date", as she put it in the message, went by, with Marinette deciding to keep the real nature of that outing a secret for the time being and having told her close friend that she'll tell her all the details later, with that "later" being when she would get to school and tell everyone else.   
  
"Okay, just stay calm, Marinette. Just go in, tell them like it is, and that'll be a weight lifted right off your shoulders for sure. Don't worry." – To calm down, she tried to think back to during the time a particular couple in her class "came out of the closet" – granted, Juleka and Rose were rather obvious even before they came out, but still, the class had mostly good reactions to these two coming out in public – even Chloe didn't utter a single word on the matter, though that was probably because of Alix giving her the most ungodly of death glares when the blonde even barely to speak out, resulting in Chloe deciding to not voice her opinion on Juleka's and Rose's relationship.   
  
So, going with the rationalization that her class was open-minded enough and that anyone who'd try to speak out would likely get mobbed, Marinette quietly went past the entrance and into the main hall, just barely avoiding tripping on flat ground **again**.   
  
Exchanging a few greetings, and getting over to class, the blunette was not at all surprised when Alya soon scooted a little closer to her at their seat and asked: "Well, girl, you gonna tell me about yesterday's events or what? Preferably with some details about the akuma attack that happened in that theater you were at!"  
  
Well, some things still haven't changed much lately, Marinette thought, as she started: "To be honest, I sat the whole attack out in some storage closet, while Kagami-"  
  
"Whoa, so she's the one you went to see that Majestia-verse movie with? Didn't think the **Ice Queen** herself would be into superhero movies!" – The bespectacled girl interrupted, whilst Marinette covered her mouth up upon realizing that she really let that slip a tad too early. Not to mention that hearing Alya refer to Kagami as "Ice Queen" just left her cringing a bit, though that was mostly because of the memories of her battle against Yuki-onna still being fresh in her mind. – "Okay, scratch the akuma attack, **this** is the real interesting part! Girl, you gotta tell me **everything**!"  
  
"Can't we leave that for after class, at least?" – The blunette remarked, with Alya's reply after a few moments of awkward silence being: "Okay, I get it. If you don't feel like talking it out right now, that's all fine. You'll still have to tell me everything after class, though!"  
  
And under her breath, the bespectacled girl added: "**Guess you really do have a type, you bisexual disaster, you**."  
  
Soon enough, class started, and was thankfully mostly uneventful – neither Chloe nor Lila tried to pull anything, thought given that this lesson was conducted by Mme. Bustier, it was basically a given – after the whole "lying disease" debacle, Caline was extra cautious of Lila, whilst Chloe really was in no position to speak up with her reputation currently being even more in shambles than before.   
  
Marinette was really glad that no one was causing any akumatizations for the time being, but was still on high alert. A part of her just felt outright **paranoid** that something was going to happen – if not within the walls of Francois-Dupont, then probably elsewhere in the city, and if not right now, then sometime later during the day.   
**  
Although maybe it was the sleep deprivation talking.**

* * *

"So, how did that movie date of yours go?"  
  
Well, that was not the question that Kagami expected to hear shortly after finishing her fencing practice with Adrien, and definitely not after having the blond sneak up on her like he, apparently, would always do to Marinette.   
  
"Why are you asking?" – Kagami asked back, trying to maintain a more or less neutral tone – sure, the fencer didn't have any hard feelings towards Adrien, yet she found herself trying to hold back any overly blunt remarks on the matter.   
  
"Well, I heard there was an akuma attack there, and I thought-"   
  
"Make that a Sentimonster attack, with Hawkmoth's "field operative" – hopefully the only one, though I still have suspicions about Lila – leading the attack personally." – The blunette elaborated, zipping her bag back up and heading for the exit.   
  
"Okay, ignoring the unplanned interruption, so to speak, how did the date proper go?" – The blond just kept on pressing the matter further, and Kagami decided she might as well tell him everything as it is.   
  
"Let's just say I've had far more close contact with Marinette on our first actual date than what I had with you over the course of our short-lived relationship." – Ugh, now there it was again, Kagami's usual bluntness bordering on outright tactlessness. She really needed to have some degree of control over that particular trait of hers. Not helping was how this conversation immediately segued into a couple moments of uncomfortable silence as Kagami finished saying that, until…   
  
"You know, I actually wish I could move on from past crushes as quickly as you do." – Adrien remarked, in full sincerity, though soon his tone got a tad more awkward: "I mean, with the way you are, I kind of had a suspicion you would be as much into girls as you would be into guys, so…"  
  
"Because of the way I dress and act, right?" – And that was the question that left Adrien a little uneasy, making him feel like he really said the wrong thing to Kagami just now.   
  
"What? No, I didn't mean it like you're a stereotypical lesbian or something! It's just that, you always seemed like you had some unresolved tension towards Marinette after that ice rink date, and-"   
  
Luckily for Adrien, Kagami rather quietly interrupted him before he dug himself even deeper, and replied: "It's alright, I understand what you're getting at. And honestly, at first I saw Marinette as a competitor, and you as the prize. Yet now, she seems to have taken the "prize" position from you. Thus, I strongly recommend that you stay in the sidelines, because if you decide to take the position of the "competitor" for her affections… I will destroy you."   
  
And now Adrien certainly felt even more intimidated by Kagami than usual. Just as he headed towards the exit, deciding not to make this talk even more awkward than it already was, however, the blunette stopped him one more time, remarking: "Also, for the sake of closure, I still want to find out who that **mystery girl **of yours is."  
  
Thus, this was the question that resulted in continuing the lengthy awkward silence, for quite a few moments, until Kagami elaborated: "You know, the girl you left both me and Marinette for. The one who seems to refuse to reciprocate your feelings while you still keep going after her regardless of that. Who is she?"  
  
Right now, Adrien could swear he never felt more cornered in his entire life, whether during hero duty or otherwise.   
  
"**Give me a straight answer. Now.**"

* * *

Meanwhile, during about the same timeframe as these events, Marinette had her entire girl group gather at the usual meeting place, though when the moment to tell them everything came up, she began stammering like no tomorrow before going into an awkward silence.

"Come on now, 'fess up and make this easier for all of us~" – Alya remarked slyly, making Marinette want to just dive under the bench and never get out.   
  
"Look, about me and Kagami- it was just a friend date and nothing past that, alright?"  
  
"Hey, I don't care much for romance, and especially others' romantic matters, but Marinette really reminds me of a certain someone right now. A certain oblivious blond, to be specific. We all know the one. " – Alix quipped in her usual tone, eliciting quite a few chuckles amongst the group. To emphasize her joke further, the pink-haired girl ruffled her hair up a bit, and, while rather badly mimicking Adrien's voice, remarked: "**She's just a friend, and I'm oblivious as hell!**", with the result being that even Marinette had trouble keeping her composure and ended up outright corpsing.   
  
"Look, I tried to pull the "just a friend" card out on Rose's parents once, telling them that Rose was just a best friend to me and nothing other than that, and seeing how I'm currently **banned** from ever entering the Lavillant household, you can see how well **that** worked out." – This was one of the few situations wherein Juleka's more sarcastic side peeked through, not unlike that one time when she suggested to "just kidnap" Kagami in response to one of Marinette's less sane schemes.   
  
"Okay, maybe that wasn't **just **a friend date. Kagami and I… Might just be a full-on couple by now." – Marinette immediately regret saying that, as now the entire group – sans Alix and Juleka – practically piled on her with all their questions.   
  
Eventually, Marinette settled on telling them the "safe" half of the story – that is, they had a perfectly pleasant movie date, the movie was mediocre, but the time they spent with each other more than made up for it, and had it not been for the sudden akuma attack in the theater, the date would have been near-perfect.   
  
Though she did keep out the details of the kiss that happened the day before that, if only because it happened in circumstances that would arise even more questions.   
  
"So there you have it, girls." – Marinette remarked upon finishing her explanation.   
  
Reactions varied the spectrum amongst the bunch. Alix couldn't help but joke that "these two dorks could end up stuck in some dingy back alley and still find a way to make the most of that situation" (Marinette just barely held back a snicker at that one), Rose barely held back her excitement, if only to prevent any windows in the vicinity from cracking due to her excited squealing **again**, Mylene mostly just congratulated Marinette on "officially moving on", Alya continued probing for details, but quickly backed away upon realizing that Marinette was burnt out enough, and finally, Juleka…   
  
Had something interesting to say.  
  
"Um… Don't get me wrong now, but… On one hand, I kind of share Rose's enthusiasm about your new crush, Marinette, yet on the other…"  
  
"**I think you left a certain someone hanging."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> U G H.   
This took too long. The best part is, it wasn't even so much the writer's block as me just wasting a metric ton of time either playing videogames, or trying to get out of the big ol' pile of academy work I was buried under, depending on whether I had any off time or not. I sincerely hope I won't end up taking so bloody long with the next chapter, and won't end up having the pacing all over the place AGAIN.


	17. Admittance

Honestly, if there was one thing Adrien learned throughout his short-lived romantic relationship with Kagami, it's that ticking her off was always going to end badly both for the guilty party and the immediate surrounding environment.   
  
So even now, he certainly felt more than a little uneasy due to how Kagami had him practically backed against a wall, not to mention was genuinely afraid of what would happen if he were to give the wrong answer to her question.   
  
A question which she repeated again.  
  
"If that "mystery girl" you have a crush on is neither me nor Marinette – and we both know for sure it's neither Chloe nor Lila, too – then who is she?" – Kagami reiterated, glaring at her ex-boyfriend who seemed to clearly struggle to find the answer. Soon enough, Adrien gave his response, but not the answer proper: "Just promise you won't get mad at me, will you? The last thing I need is a second coming of Oni-chan, or something even worse, and-"  
  
"Why do you have to make everything so difficult? Just tell me like it is and don't hesitate. Whoever she is, I promise I won't hurt her. And if you feel like you would be much happier with her, then so be it, I'm not one to stop you." – The usual coldness in Kagami's tone returned as she said that, even if her words suggested that she tried to ease up a bit.   
  
"Well… That so-called "mystery girl"… It's Ladybug. I actually had a rather lengthy crush on Ladybug for a while now. " – Adrien finally confessed, resulting in a bit of a shock for Kagami.   
  
So that explains it… Of course it wouldn't have ever occurred to Adrien that the clumsy, indecisive, yet cheerful and kind Marinette would be anything like the headstrong, agile and crafty Ladybug. Perhaps if he did have a crush on her, Kagami presumed that Adrien merely thought that this would mean being unfaithful to…  
  
To the very same girl he was unknowingly having a crush on.  
  
_Kuso._  
  
Kagami almost immediately unsheathed her bokken with her off hand, and Adrien recoiled back, fully expecting to get hit for his troubles…  
  
Only for Kagami to groan in frustration and sheathe the bamboo sword back.   
  
"I guess I really am an idiot for not having figured it out sooner, am I now." – Kagami remarked in a resigned tone, then, as she backed away from Adrien, replied almost resentfully: "Not as much of an idiot as **you **are, however."  
  
"You… Really think I wouldn't stand a chance with her?" – Well, that question certainly caught Kagami off-guard. And as much as she wanted to tell Adrien how it really is, she still had a secret to keep, and a relationship to maintain, so she bluntly remarked: "I'm pretty sure Ladybug doesn't even have any spare time for romance, what with having to save Paris on daily basis and probably dealing with her civilian life responsibilities while she's at it. You may not exactly be out of her league, but chances are that she probably thinks of your crush on her as just another "celebrity crush" of sorts. **Probably one of many.** "  
  
"Guess I'm really out of luck when it comes to relationships, it seems." – Adrien groaned out, and while Kagami wanted to let him off easily, her brutal honesty soon got the better of her as she remarked: "No. You brought this on yourself. You had not one, but **two** girls crushing on you, and while I don't know if **I'm** good enough for you, I'm sure **Marinette** really was the best girlfriend you could ever have, and yet you rejected us **both**, all in favor of a one-sided celebrity crush. You really are a complete and utter _manuke_."  
  
Not having anything to say in response, yet looking like Kagami's words have really gotten through to him, Adrien headed on outside, presumably having decided to go home from there on. Just as he left the building, Kagami added: "You couldn't even see that the girl you were after was there all along, crushing on you like no tomorrow, and even planning out a future with you, if some of her daydreams she's had about you were of any indication. In a way, you're more blind than my mother ever was. "  
  
After that, upon peeking outside and noticing that the Agreste family car drove off by that time, Kagami sat down at a bench near the entrance, having decided to take a breather and calm herself down, all in an attempt to avoid getting akumatized yet again. 

* * *

"I guess I must've really gotten too caught up in everything that's been going on around me."  
  
This was how Marinette ended her explanation to Juleka as to why she essentially ghosted Luka for the past few days and dumped him without him even knowing.   
  
Okay, maybe that wasn't entirely true. In fact, Luka himself told Marinette to pursue Kagami, right? So, technically, she didn't actually "dump" him, right? But one thing Juleka was right about, Marinette thought, is that yes, she did leave Luka hanging after the Yuki-onna incident.   
  
"I'm not blaming you for anything, Marinette. In fact, I wouldn't have ever brought this topic up had Luka not asked me this morning to check up on you and Kagami." – Juleka continued, then, after a bit of a pause, added: "And you know, it wouldn't hurt if you were to give him closure on the whole situation yourself. Luka didn't seem at all upset, but with how chill he is all the time… It's hard to tell. "  
  
Sighing, Marinette dialed up Luka's number, and sat down on a nearby bench, waiting for him to pick up.  
  
A few more beeps, and…  
  
"Marinette? What happened?"  
  
"I needed to tell you something. Juleka said you wanted to know how it's going between me and Kagami, so-" – Not that Marinette got to finish her explanation, as Luka soon replied in his usual mellow tone: "Don't worry, I understand. I only asked because I wondered how your choice's treating you so far."  
  
"My…Choice?" – Marinette seemed more than a little confused, and thus Luka elaborated: "Regarding romantic partners, of course. As in, whether you two are really happy with one another."  
  
"I… Well, of course we are, but-"  
  
"Then that means I shouldn't be too worried about you two. After all, if you're happy, then so am I." – And with that, Luka soon hanged up, not even letting Marinette respond.   
  
"What did he say?" – Rose interjected, to which Marinette responded: "Not really much. The usual "if you're happy, then so am I" thing, just like when it came to Adrien."   
  
"Well that was anticlimactic. You sure you two were even in a proper relationship before this whole Kagami thing happened? " – Alix deadpanned, and as much as Marinette wanted to talk back at her, she couldn't help but admit that she had a point. Not that she could have a chance for a proper comeback, either, as Alix soon ran – or rather, rollerbladed – right off after that remark.   
  
"Guess I really did get worked up for nothing. Anyway, I'll talk it out with Luka when I get home. For now, I kind of promised Rose a proper date. See you later, I guess. " – Juleka remarked, heading off elsewhere with Rose trailing right behind her, thus leaving Marinette and Alya with one another.   
  
"Your love life is something I'll never understand, my girl." – Alya quipped, lightly nudging Marinette in the shoulder, only for her to suddenly shoot up from the bench and sputter off: "**OhmygoshIforgotIwassupposedtomeetupwithKagamiafterclassseeyalaterbye!**" before running off at breakneck speeds, and causing Alya to just roll her eyes and chuckle as she watched Marinette barely avoid tripping over flat ground as she ran off. 

* * *

"Seems someone's had a bad day fencing?"  
  
Well, at least Marinette's presence was plenty enough to calm Kagami down. **   
**  
Kagami soon turned around and noticed Marinette sitting down next to her, then deadpanned in response: "You don't know the half of it."  
  
As much as Kagami wanted to tell her girlfriend how it really was… She kind of felt a bit unsure about it. After all, she just wasn't sure what would the consequences of telling Marinette that her past crush was **actually in love with her**, but **not exactly** **her**, would be.  
  
"You seem like you've had a fight with someone. Did Adrien-"  
  
"Remind me, why were you crushing so madly on that oblivious idiot?" – Kagami snapped off, surprising Marinette quite a bit, yet making it rather clear just who she was talking about.   
  
"Well, it just sort of… Happened during a particular rainy day. I got caught up in the rain, we had a sorta-romantic moment after he gave me his umbrella – although having it just close up on me sort of killed the mood - and-" – Not that Marinette had a chance to finish her reminiscence, as Kagami just groaned out: "That was a rhetorical question, Marinette."  
  
"Oh. So what happened?" – Well, if Marinette herself was prying at the matter, Kagami thought, then it's only fair to let her in on it.   
  
"I found out just whom exactly he had a crush on. And I guess I was at least part right back then – he had a crush on **you** all along."  
  
At first, Marinette was a little baffled by this statement. She knew all too well that Adrien personally told her about this "other girl" of sorts, and it turned out that Kagami wasn't the aforementioned girl, so she figured it was someone she didn't know, at least not personally. Yet… There Kagami was, having asked Adrien about it personally as well, and telling it to her like that.   
  
"Wait… That can't be right. He himself told me he had a crush on someone else, and-"  
  
"That 'someone else' is Ladybug. So basically…" – She looked around to see if anyone could overhear them, then leaned in and whispered: "He really did have a crush on **you**, Marinette."  
**  
Marinette practically felt her breath end up stuck in her throat as she heard that. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I might've messed a few things up here, such as making Kagami come off as a little too bitter in the first part of the chapter, or having concluded the whole Luka thing in a somewhat overly anticlimactic way, but overall, I think I've pulled the chapter off well.  
Stay safe, everyone!  
Darky Out!


	18. More Realization

Well, now Marinette certainly had even more interesting information to take in.   
  
As if the prior bombshell courtesy of Kagami a few days prior wasn't enough, now she found out that the very boy they both had a crush on, nearly lost their friendship over, and who seemed suspiciously oblivious of them both…   
  
Was actually crushing on Marinette's alter-ego.   
  
Kagami was mostly staying silent for the past few moments, letting Marinette silently process the news and waiting for her response on the matter, until…   
  
"I… I honestly don't know what to think about this." – Marinette finally spoke up, sighing. – "I mean, sure, I wouldn't put it behind Adrien for not knowing about my secret – after all, I am not supposed to let anyone know about it – yet… I also feel strangely relieved to hear it. As in, I'm almost glad that it wasn't anyone like Lila or Chloe that he had a crush on. "  
  
"So, at the end of the day… You're not mad at him." – Kagami remarked matter-of-factly, with Marinette nodding in response. – "Not going to lie, I was **furious** when I found out. I know he is not obligated to be in love with me or you – or, well, your civilian self, for that matter – sure, but at the very least, he could have just told either of us how it really was earlier. Maybe then we would have avoided that conversation on the rooftop back during the Heart Hunter incident."  
  
"Well, I didn't quite think about asking Adrien about it, not since that ice rink date anyway. From there onward, I just automatically assumed that you were the girl he liked so much, and didn't bother to ask him about it since." – Shortly after saying that, Marinette looked around awkwardly before adding, in an attempt to lighten the situation: "Then again, considering that, even when I'm not crushing on Adrien, I'm still going all-" – Cue the outlandish noises courtesy of Marinette as she demonstrated just how badly she gets tongue-tied. – "-whenever I attempt to talk to him, I guess I wouldn't even be able to ask anyway."  
  
"Guess I also should have asked sooner, without making any assumptions. Looking back on it, I guess I really am the bigger idiot of us two…" – Kagami groaned out. After a brief pause, she eyed her surroundings with her usual cold suspicion for a bit, before noting: "You know, with how upset I felt for the past half an hour, I'm legitimately surprised Hawk Moth didn't send an entire swarm's worth of akumas after me by now."  
  
"Considering Hawk Moth doesn't ever take any days off, I'd say someone else is probably akumatized by now, but didn't make their presence known **just yet**." – And as if right on cue, Marinette heard distant screaming and explosions coming from the direction of some side street, and deadpanned: "**Speak of the devil**, huh…"  
  
"Guess we'll talk it out later today. Tatsu's going to be arriving any minute now anyway, so I'll call you up once I get home." – Kagami replied, giving Marinette a light parting kiss on the cheek just before the latter girl ran off. As Marinette ducked into some nearby alley and re-emerged as Ladybug, soon swinging off, Kagami decided not to bother her on whether or not she needed Ryuuko's help in that one, and decided to just sit there and wait, left with just her own frustrated thoughts.   
  
So, it turned out that her assumption about Adrien crushing on Marinette was **technically **true. Unfortunately, it seemed that Adrien failed to notice just who was beneath the mask, and thus…  
  
"Then again, had I not caught Marinette chatting away with her kwami a few times, I wouldn't have **ever** thought that someone as scatter-brained and clumsy as that girl could possibly be Ladybug…"  
  
A certain other possibility crossed her mind after thinking over that – the possibility that maybe, Adrien **did** actually have a crush on Marinette's "civilian" self, yet either he thought it would make him unfaithful to his "main" crush (whom he didn't know was the same person) or Marinette could have very well ended up digging her own grave with the occasional poor wording and overly vocal denial in that regard.   
  
Or maybe even both.   
  
Kagami continued thinking over that situation even after Tatsu arrived and she rode back to the Tsurugi residence, and given that Tatsu was mostly silent throughout Kagami's way home, not even bothering with a single pre-recorded message due to the ride being mostly uneventful (a few close calls with the latest akumatized villain and their "fireworks" nonwithstanding), she was mostly left with just her own thoughts.   
  
So, because of Marinette getting nigh-constantly tongue-tied, and because of Adrien being too focused on his crush on someone who he thought was an entirely different person, these two have ended up building quite the wall between themselves. Not only that, but now Kagami felt almost guilty after having realized just how badly she lashed out at Adrien back there. Sure, she knew that telling Adrien everything as it was might have been the best course of action, but…   
  
Maybe she did go a bit **too **harsh on him.   
  
"**I guess I do owe Adrien an apology for that prior outburst.** "

* * *

Meanwhile, shortly after Ladybug de-evilized the akuma and she and Cat Noir parted ways, as the latter hero dove into some nondescript alley and detransformed, he couldn't help but sigh in frustration.   
  
"What do I keep getting myself into? First Kagami and I break up after having barely lasted a few days, then Marinette acts more and more distant by the day, and now Kagami lashes out at me the moment I mention Ladybug!" – Adrien vented to Plagg a bit whilst the kwami was busy wolfing down a wedge of cheese – sure, Adrien wasn't going to re-transform just yet, but he still had to make sure Plagg was on standby in case something happened like back during the Heart Hunter incident – that is to say, Hawk Moth sending out a second akuma after someone else.   
  
Shortly after having finished his meal, Plagg replied: "I don't know much about all this "love" stuff, but I guess any girl in Kagami's position would be really angry about the whole thing. It's great that you at least attempted to keep your cover up, but maybe at least telling Kagami that you've had a crush on Ladybug **before **you two got into a relationship that barely lasted a few days could have made the situation a little better? Chances are that, nowadays, she knows something about Ladybug that we don't (He mentally added: "Or, well, **you** don't, anyway…" after saying that), and that's where the reason for her blowing up like this came from. "   
  
"However it is, now I just don't know what to do." – Adrien remarked forlornly.   
  
"Once again, I'm no relationship doctor – that's usually Tikki's department – so just think for yourself on that one. But personally, I think a good start would be to apologize to Kagami for not telling everything earlier. Just remember, try not to blow your cover when you do. "   
  
"Not today, that's for sure – she's probably not going to answer a single call from me after what happened today." – Adrien remarked as he looked over his contacts list, specifically – over Kagami's entry.   
  
"Okay, but don't put it too far off. After all, you can only age the cheese for so long before it starts doing nothing but gathering mold instead." – Plagg deadpanned shortly before diving back into Adrien's shirt pocket whilst he typed out a note on his phone, so as to remind himself to talk it out with Kagami later. 

* * *

"I figured it wouldn't take you that long to de-evilize the akuma. Who was it anyway?"   
  
Well, that certainly was an interesting way for Kagami to open up a conversation, Marinette thought, soon afterwards relaying the situation to her: "Some pyrotechnics-obsessed tween who got akumatized after he'd been told off of, and I quote, 'playing around with fireworks'. The name was Pyrotech or something like that. Cat Noir certainly had a field day with all kinds of firework- and pyrotechnics-based puns, especially when it came to not-really-accidental misnaming. I think I've lost count of the amount of "short fuse" and "dud" jokes Cat Noir had at Pyrotech's expense. " – After Marinette finished relaying that particular piece of info, both girls laughed it off, until, after they both calmed down, Kagami asked: "Speaking of which, does Cat Noir know about the whole Adrien thing, or…"  
  
"Honestly? I don't really know. I decided not to bring it up anyway – he seemed a little… Distraught today. As if he'd gotten into an argument prior to the battle or something like that." – Before Kagami could respond, Marinette elaborated: "Even though Cat Noir didn't specifically bring it up, and was back at it with his usual banter and mostly fooling around for the entirety of the battle and outright baseballing Pyrotech's fireworks back at him, he still seemed a little upset when I bumped into him before the battle. I didn't even get a chance to ask him what happened back there. I just hope he's okay."   
  
"Just as well. Whatever it is that's going on with your partner today, it's none of my business. Though this did remind me of a call I've needed to make. Just give me a few moments…You might want to stay on the line for this one. "  
  
At first, Marinette was more than a little confused, given that she didn't feel like checking just who was the third party being called in, though she very quickly realized just what Kagami had in mind when she heard an all-too-familiar voice on the phone line.   
  
"And here I thought you wouldn't even want to talk to me after today."  
  
**After all, Adrien's somewhat distraught voice was simply impossible to confuse with anyone else's.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, a real doozy of a chapter that I've been putting off for far too long. I guess I'm spending way too much of my off time playing videogames instead of working on the fic, huh.   
Would I say I'm satisfied with this one? Mostly. It didn't need as many revisions from the first draft as I thought it would, at the very least.


	19. Apologies

"Right… I guess the first thing I have to do is apologize for today's outburst. I may have been a bit too frustrated for my and everyone else's own good."  
  
Despite neither person being present in her room at the moment, Marinette certainly felt the all-too-real tension going on as Kagami said that to Adrien. What had her particularly surprised, however, was how civilly Adrien responded to Kagami's apology: "It's alright, Kagami. I guess I really should have told you everything sooner. You know, before we got into a relationship that barely lasted a few days and all that."   
  
Both Marinette and Kagami felt relieved to hear that and realize that the conflict ended quickly enough. What Adrien said next, admittedly, was not all that surprising to Marinette: "And Marinette… I think I should also tell you everything while I'm at it."  
  
"Actually…" – Marinette finally spoke up, though she still found herself fumbling her words: "Kagami already told me about that…Whole… Crush thing of yours today. You know, about you and your, uh… "Celebrity crush" as she put it."  
  
"I guess that's the best way to sum the Ladybug situation up." – Adrien replied to that particular statement. – "I guess, in retrospect, ignoring you two in favor of a superheroine who probably wouldn't ever pay any attention to me ("…Not to mention she would much rather stay "just friends" with my "hero" self, too. But I guess that's for the best." – he mentally added as he said that.) wasn't the smartest thing I've done in my life."   
  
"Tch. You don't know the half of it." – Kagami added under her breath, yet upon hearing Marinette coughing demonstratively into the phone, she almost immediately corrected herself, still maintaining her stoic demeanor: "I mean... It's okay, we all tend to do some mind-bogglingly stupid things every now and again."   
  
"Yeah, guess I really messed up back there." – Adrien remarked sheepishly. – "I just hope you two aren't mad at me after all that happened."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't be calling if I were." – Kagami quipped, whilst Marinette added: "Totally! I mean, uh, I'm totally **not** mad at you! Never were, in fact! Yep! Not mad at all!"  
  
Cue both Adrien and Kagami laughing Marinette's nervous babbling off, complete with her giggling nervously afterwards. Even when she had seemingly gotten over her crush on Adrien, she still couldn't put two words together when talking to him, huh…   
  
"Anyway, I was glad to talk to you guys, but you know how it is with my phone uptime restrictions. See you tomorrow." – And with that, Kagami hanged up, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone in the conversation.   
  
"You know, I don't think you've chosen wrong." – Adrien spoke up after a few moments of awkward silence, with Marinette asking confusedly: "Chosen what?"  
  
"I mean, with how you and Kagami are together as a couple now. You two do seem quite fitting for each other, and I'm just glad you finally set aside your differences." – He elaborated, with Marinette's only reply being a resigned "Oh" and a few more moments of awkward silence, until…  
  
"So you're not upset that you missed out?.. You know, on your chances with either of us?" – Marinette asked back, a bit more certain with her words, yet still wanting to bury herself alive from sheer awkwardness.   
  
"Why should I be? Even if it didn't work out all that well romantically with either of you, you and Kagami are still my close friends, and I really appreciate having you two around. " – As Adrien said that, Marinette couldn't help but feel surprisingly content with that. – "And if you two are happy with one another, well, then I'm also happy for you."  
  
"Then I'm glad we've resolved it… Peacefully … Yeah." – And now it went right back to fumbling her words for Marinette, so she decided she's got to wrap the conversation up before it got awkward: "Anyway, I've… Got homework to do... There's a metric ton to do for tomorrow, so… Yeah, goodbye, I guess?"  
  
"Oh, right… Goodbye then." – Adrien replied, hanging up, seemingly having gotten through the conversation unfazed.   
  
Afterwards, Marinette crashed back down into her bed and couldn't help but groan at how she still kept practically tripping over her own tongue whenever she talked to Adrien.   
  
**Even after she seemingly got over her crush on him, no less**.   
  
"Okay, to be fair, maybe I haven't entirely gotten over him." – She quipped to no one in particular, with Tikki chiming in and remarking: "Well, feelings for one person don't just fade out overnight, even if you fall for someone else. But with how it's going between you three, I think you're doing a good job moving on from your past crush, Marinette. "  
  
"Speaking of which… I think there's a certain someone I need to talk to before calling it a night. Tie up another loose end, if you will. "

* * *

"I can't believe I'm really doing this." – Ladybug silently mouthed as she swung across the rooftops, looking all over the city for Cat Noir. Even if he respected her boundaries well, Marinette still felt the need to tell him everything, and-  
  
"What's the sudden hurry, m'lady?"  
  
And speak of the leather-clad devil, there he is.   
  
"Oh, hello. Patrolling as usual, kitty?" – Ladybug asked as she noticed Cat Noir practically right behind her.   
  
"Actually, I was looking specifically for you. I needed to talk to you about something im-_purr­­_-tant. " – He replied as Marinette groaned and sat down on the rooftop for a moment, figuring she might as well seize the opportunity, even if it meant having to put up with Cat Noir's puns for the next few minutes or so.   
  
"So, what was it exactly?" – She asked as Cat Noir sat down next to her, looking off into the distance and watching the sunset.   
  
"Well, I was wondering if you and Ryuuko really are… A couple, you know. Whether you two are really together in **that** way, and all that." – Cat Noir asked somewhat uncertainly, leaving Marinette feeling relieved that he preferred to get right to her exact point and sparing her the necessity to lead up to the subject.   
  
"You know full well I can't tell you anything about my off-duty life, kitty." – Ladybug quipped in response, nudging Cat Noir with her elbow a bit. – "Yet, even if Ryuuko and I really are a couple off-duty, that still doesn't mean I would go as far as to replace you as my partner. You know full well that you are - and have always been - irreplaceable. "  
  
"Then that's all I needed to hear. Thanks for the closure on the whole thing, Bugaboo. " – After hearing Ladybug snicker at the mention of that particular nickname, and as she mouthed what he could swear sounded like "Haven't heard that nickname in a while…", Cat Noir paused for a few moments before asking: "So, care to join me for the night patrol, or maybe it would be better to **cat-**call it a night?"  
  
"Oh, can it already, you silly cat!" – Marinette chuckled out, rolling her eyes in faux exasperation, and, after a few moments, remarked: "Yeah, guess it really would be better to end it there. I'm not exactly the nocturnal type, too, so an early night it is."  
  
"Good night then, Ladybug. Here's hoping you'll have pleasant dreams tonight, Especially if they'll be involving Ryuuko." - Cat Noir teased one last time before pole-vaulting away elsewhere, while Ladybug couldn't help but roll her eyes and snicker at that particular remark.  
  
"Considering that she's been in close contact with me quite often for the past few days, I'd be surprised if I **didn't** have dreams involving Kagami." – She quipped just as Cat Noir was out of earshot. – "Guess there is still **one more** thing to do tonight, then."  
  
Marinette figured that talking to Kagami one last time before calling it a day wouldn't hurt, and decided to take a detour to the Tsurugi residence, especially since she knew the way there well enough from her past visits, however few there were.

* * *

While normally Kagami would have trouble falling asleep in time, she felt outright beat after that day's events, and thus decided to head to bed early, feeling ready to pass out from exhaustion. Or, well, she would have headed right to bed, if she didn't notice Ladybug swoop right by the window.   
  
Kagami figured she might as well step out onto the balcony and let her girlfriend in. Once there, she deadpanned: "I was just about to head to bed, you know. Great timing as always."  
  
"It's barely even 8 PM, talk about a very tight schedule!" – Marinette remarked, feeling a tad flustered at the realization that she just caught Kagami in just her nightwear again.   
  
"Actually, I myself decided to head to bed earlier than usual, considering that there weren't any plans for the remainder of the day. Not to mention I'm all beat after today's events." – Kagami remarked as she opened the balcony door for Ladybug, letting her in. As Marinette stepped into Kagami's bedroom, she stopped for a moment, taking a good look around her living space.  
  
The few glimpses she's got of Kagami's bedroom prior didn't give her enough of an idea what it was really like, and now that she's got to see it in full glory, she felt somewhat unsurprised – the various fencing memorabilia all over the room, a stuffed-to-the-brim trophy case, and a futon in place of a bed were to be expected, but other than that, the room seemingly lacked individuality, with the only other piece of furniture in the room being a desk, the shelves of which were loaded with various plain-looking textbooks, while a part of the space on the desk proper was occupied by a plain-looking black laptop. From what she's seen through the windows leading to other rooms, the décor in Kagami's bedroom apparently hardly differed from the rest of the Tsurugi residence – same dark red wallpaper, same marble tile floor…   
  
"I think I just witnessed death of individuality in bedroom form." – Marinette deadpanned under her breath. What she said out loud afterwards, however, veered far off of the subject of interior design: "It's kinda interesting to be the visitor for once. Usually, I was almost entirely on the receiving end of superhero visits from a certain someone else."  
  
"That someone being Cat Noir, I presume." – Kagami stated matter-of-factly, with Ladybug nodding and adding: "Yeah, he did visit me while I was off-duty every now and again. Sometimes just to talk, sometimes to get a few free pastries, and sometimes – to **sweet-talk** over some pastries. Though he did kind of stop dropping by as of late. Perhaps he is a bit **too **convinced that, well, the person he's visiting is not the same one who fights by his side all the time, and that it would make him unfaithful to... The other me. "  
  
Kagami couldn't help but chuckle at that statement, and, upon noticing Marinette's quizzical look, elaborated: "I have to admit, the sheer irony of your situation with the secret identities is actually pretty funny. I think it's truly going to be something to laugh about when you two finally find each other's identities out. "  
  
"Or it could always go awry and lead to the end of the world." – Marinette remarked surprisingly casually, and while at first Kagami wanted to laugh at how over-the-top Marinette's worst-case-scenario was, the serious look in Marinette's eyes assured her that she was not being overdramatic the slightest.   
  
Upon noticing Kagami's quizzical look, Marinette elaborated: "Long story short, time travel and alternate timelines were involved, and I found out that, for the time being, it's best if Cat Noir and I don't know each other's identities."  
  
Understanding that "I don't wanna talk about it" tone and expression rather well, Kagami figured she won't pry into it, and instead asked: "Right. Anything else you wanted to talk about, or-"  
  
"Just wanted to check up on you is all. Although… We might just..." – Deciding to take a slight risk, and maybe let Kagami end the day on a more positive note than simply "too burnt out to bother", Marinette inched just close enough to Kagami for a kiss.

The lighting in the room, the look in Marinette's eyes as she leaned in... Everything lined up too perfectly at that particular moment. Marinette's intentions were very, **very clear to Kagami. **  
  
Trying not to appear too flustered, yet still being unable to hide the blush that soon crept up her cheeks, Kagami replied: "You might want to finish that sentence, Mari-hime."  
  
Sure enough, Marinette leaned in for a kiss. While at first she figured she'd just settle on a quick peck on the lips and leave, Kagami was not at all satisfied by it, and pulled Marinette in for a deeper, more passionate kiss.   
  
To say that Marinette was caught off guard by Kagami's sudden moves would be quite the understatement, yet she didn't protest all that much…  
  
Until a particular moment-killer's voice decided to chime in. Or rather, blast in:  
  
"Kagami Tsurugi! What's with that noise coming from your room?!"  
  
Groaning in frustration as she pulled away from Marinette, Kagami deadpanned: "And this is why I can't have nice things."  
  
"I'm sure the context and usage for that phrase is a little different, but whatever. Goodnight, then. " – Marinette soon ran over to the balcony, and, quipping "Bug out!", swung off into the distance, with Kagami hurriedly closing the balcony door and rushing back into bed.   
  
**Those inconveniences aside, going to bed feeling the lingering taste of her girlfriend's lips on her own was all too worth it for her. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many constant revisions, and yet I still feel like this is the most awkward chapter I've ever written, in all senses of the word. The ending, I feel, was something I really fumbled up on. 
> 
> Stay safe, everyone.
> 
> Darky Out!


	20. Boredom

The next few days so far were largely uneventful – with Kagami's schedule being packed more than usual thanks to having to catch up on missed training, while Marinette doubled down on her guardian duties and was busy trying to decipher the rest of the spellbook – she did back up the undeciphered page photos way, way back during the Collector incident shortly before returning the book – the two girls hardly had any time to spare for even one date during these days.   
  
While akuma attacks still happened every now and again, making it so that these days weren**'**t **entirely **uneventful, even those were nothing special – compared to the past week's monstrosities like Yuki-onna or Chronograph, these ones were largely tame and went down with relative ease, not requiring any backup heroes' help, including Ryuuko's.   
  
Which made Marinette feel more than a little relieved, as the last thing she needed is to have to explain everything to half her class and a certain outsider and give them even **more **of a reason to gang up on Chloe ever since the Miracle Queen incident.   
  
(At a certain point, Marinette thought right back to Yuki-onna and Chloe's defensive tirade shortly before the aforementioned villain attempted to freeze her solid. So apparently, Chloe remembered being akumatized AND the villain name she had, but **not** that she seemingly outed the heroes' identities **or** the aforementioned identities proper. That was something that clearly warranted a further study of the Butterfly Miraculous section of the spellbook… When she'd have time for it, that is. )  
  
As for Kagami, she didn't have any particular struggles to worry about – she and Adrien were still on friendly terms, her mother didn't interject into her personal life **too **much, and there weren't any big fencing competitions to prepare for so far, so all in all, these particular days were **really **uneventful for her.   
  
Until one specific akuma attack, that is.   
  
One of her fellow students – a rather arrogant brunet named Claude who, despite not even remotely matching up to Kagami's or Adrien's level of fencing skill, seemed a bit too arrogant for his own good – cornered Kagami near the academy exit at the worst of times, just after everyone else had already left and Kagami lagged behind a bit.   
  
"Well now, I've heard that this Agreste fellow wasn't good enough for ya. Perhaps I could be a better choice?"  
  
"I'm sorry, do I look like I'm in pursuit of anyone right now?" – Kagami snapped back in response, but that hardly stopped Claude from getting too close for comfort.   
  
"Come on now, everyone's left by now, no one's gonna notice if we-"  
  
The nerve of that guy!  
  
Kagami was not having any of it, and a strong smack to Claude's arrogant face was more than enough to send him outright reeling back and result in him falling flat on his behind.   
  
As Kagami left the premises, she heard Claude spouting insults at her just before she headed for her car. There were a few questions asked amongst other students, but none of them dared to ask Kagami about it – her "stoically angry" look has really clued them in on that it's better to leave her be for now.   
  
It wasn't long before Claude got akumatized, and just when Kagami got into the family car and it headed on over to the Tsurugi residence, the akumatized villain – named Heartpiercer – already caught up to her.   
  
"Now I sure know how Adrien felt being chased by me back when I was Riposte, huh." – Kagami deadpanned as Heartpiercer cut her family car's roof apart, the crazed stare from behind the smiling theatrical mask directed at her making her, admittedly, tense up a bit.   
  
"If you're not going to let me have you, then I suppose no one else should!"  
  
"Cheesy **and** clingy. You're definitely every girl's dream boy. " – Kagami retorted sarcastically, keeping up her usual stoicism even in the face of potential impalement.   
  
"With an attitude like that, no wonder you're still single!" – Claude snapped back, and was just about to strike at Kagami… Only to have a quick moment of dawning comprehension as he noticed an all-too-familiar yo-yo wrapped around his chest before getting yanked away.   
  
"Continuing to the Tsurugi residence despite the damage sustained." – Tatsu quipped, picking up speed in an attempt to decrease the distance between itself and the supervillain further.   
  
From there, the rest of the day went by relatively quietly. Heartpiercer didn't attempt to give chase after her again, but now Kagami was certain she was going to have quite the unpleasant conversation with Claude the next day.   
  
Meanwhile, Marinette hadn't much trouble fighting off that particular akumatized villain – if anything, her expertise with Riposte and Onichan taught her a thing or two about dealing with fencer supervillains, and so he went down with relative ease. Just like his usual self, he was all bark and no bite.   
  
With her mind left to wander for the rest of the way home, Kagami sighed as she thought back to the Onichan incident, and while she didn't quite remember what she did back then, she still felt guilty because of what exactly caused it.   
  
"And all of that mess was for nothing anyway. On the bright side, I guess there is some solace in the fact that what caused my akumatization wasn't petty jealousy, but legitimate anger at having my… Close friend's boundaries crossed like this." – Kagami mused to herself, not even noticing the Miraculous Ladybug wave repairing any prior damage done to her family car by Heartpiercer. – "However it is, I'm just glad that these days of confusion are behind me now."   
  
The rest of the way home was, thankfully, mostly uneventful, and just as Kagami was about to head on into the Tsurugi residence, she soon got a text from Marinette.   
  
_Mari-hime: What's this Claude guy's deal anyway? :/  
  
_Sighing, Kagami quickly typed out the answer:  
  
_KagamiTsu: He clearly hadn't heard about consent, that's what. That, and I'm not really out of the closet just yet._  
  
A few moments afterwards, Kagami had basically stopped in front of the doorway, waiting for Marinette's response, which didn't take long:  
  
_Mari-hime: Anyway I told him not to bother u 4 the time being_

_Mari-hime: Said he'll apologize 2morrow_

Honestly, Kagami never got the hand of textspeak, but at least the phonetic interpretation was easy enough for her.   
  
Just as she was about to type out a reply, Tomoe had opened the front door, asking: "I've got the signal you've arrived, yet you've been standing in the doorway for quite a few minutes now. What is this all about?"  
  
"Sorry, just got a message from my girlfriend I need to reply to." – Kagami explained, lightly bowing.   
  
"Even if it's that urgent, at least don't stand outside doing so. " – Tomoe replied with slight annoyance, practically pulling Kagami into the Tsurugi residence as she hurriedly typed out a reply:  
  
_KagamiTsu: _ _sry, mom interjected at worst of times, brb   
  
_On the other end of the line, Marinette couldn't help but snicker at her girlfriend's hilariously adorkable foray into textspeak, and typed out a quick reply:  
  
_Mari-hime: No problem, I'll wait  
  
_As for Kagami, shortly after entering the residence and a quick interrogation by her mother about her results in fencing, Kagami went upstairs and into her bedroom, though not without Juni – their recently-hired maid – briefly snapping her out of her thoughts by telling her that dinner will be done in half an hour.   
  
Juni was a grey-eyed brunette just a couple years older than Kagami was, and it was only on that particular day that she had started her work as the Tsurugis' new housemaid, so far apparently doing far better than the previous one, yet not exactly having the most approachable personality, leaving Kagami wondering if that's the kind of impression she gave off to others before they got to know her better.   
  
Not that the maid concerned Kagami much at that moment, as she had a conversation to continue, and thus, shortly after getting her jacket and skirt off and practically crashing down into her chair, she quickly typed out a response:  
  
_KagamiTsu: Okay, I'm back now.  
  
_She then thought for a few more moments, and added:  
  
_KagamiTsu: Here's hoping Juni won't try to interrupt.   
  
_After a bit of questioning from Marinette and explaining who Juni was from Kagami, the conversation went right back into the usual flow – Kagami was practically chatting away with Marinette, talking about how things were going recently and whatnot.   
  
As for Marinette, she talked a bit more about superhero duty, still keeping out the guardian duty side of her secret life. Long story short, akuma attacks were as frequent as always, but, as Marinette relayed from Cat Noir, "Old Hawky's losing his touch". _  
  
_Just as Kagami told Marinette to "don't jinx it", Juni barged into the bedroom to seemingly check up on Kagami, and to remind her that she may or may not have spent the entirety of the last half an hour texting Marinette.  
  
"I know you and your crush may seem like the most important thing in the world right now, but I doubt that your conversational skills won't be affected by your hunger. In other words – dinner's ready, Mlle. Tsurugi." – Juni deadpanned shortly after clearing her throat to get Kagami's attention.   
  
"My apologies. Just give me a few more moments." – Kagami replied, and just as Juni left her room…  
  
She decided to take a bit of a risk, and say her goodbyes to Marinette for the day in a more… Interesting way.   
  
After all, she had some time to spare, so she might as well take full advantage of it, right?   
  
…  
  
*CLICK*  
  
"By the _Kami, _my mother's so going to kill me if she finds out…" – Kagami mouthed as she looked over the picture she sent to Marinette, buttoning her shirt back up before running off downstairs. 

* * *

_KagamiTsu: A parting gift for the night~   
  
KagamiTsu sent you a file: PHOTO_0008.jpg  
  
_"Huh?" – Marinette was more than a little bemused by that particular message. What's with that tilde at the end? And what kind of photo did she send her at that moment, anyway?  
  
Figuring she hadn't got anything better to do and that it's better to just open it rather than spend the entire night thinking about what exactly the photo was, Marinette tapped the notification with the sent file…  
  
Oh.  
  
**Oh.  
  
_Oh!_**_  
  
_"She really **never hesitates**, huh… " – Marinette mouthed, blushing profusely as she looked at the… Rather suggestive picture that Kagami sent her.   
  
**_Guess she wasn't going to sleep that night for a different reason than she usually had.   
_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, by this point, I wonder if I ever was truly happy with how this or that chapter turned out. Maybe I'll try to write something a little more eventful next time. For now, I don't feel like postponing this for another week. 
> 
> Darky Out!


	21. Awkwardness

"I still can't believe your mom actually let you off on not just a date, but a full-on sleepover."  
  
The weekend came by without any incidents since the whole Heartpiercer situation, and given that Kagami had a relatively lax schedule for that Saturday, Marinette, in a passing comment during a phone conversation, mentioned that maybe Kagami should come over to her place for a sleepover. Of course, considering that Marinette knew Kagami's mother all too well, she was certain that the woman wasn't going to let her off… And was legitimately surprised when Kagami told her that she was actually going to come over for not just an evening date, but for a full-on sleepover.   
  
"Mom did say that I've been improving quite a bit as of late, even if I'm still not really on her level in kendo, yet she figured she might as well reward me for doing well. I've got to thank you for opening her eyes towards somewhat less strict methods, even if she still controls my schedule like no tomorrow. "  
  
"You didn't catch the tiniest bit of irony in that "opening her eyes" statement, did you." – Marinette deadpanned in response, with them both laughing it off afterwards, then Kagami later capped it off on the following remark: "Anyway, I should be arriving in about a few minutes, so see you later. _Ja ne_."  
  
"_Ja ne._" – And with that, Marinette hanged up, then looked around her room some more, groaning in frustration.   
  
Sure, as far as her relatives and friends knew, she had no real plans for the time being. But as far as her guardian duty went… Well, Marinette certainly didn't feel any better from realizing the fact that, since the day she became the Guardian and till now, she hadn't gotten even slightly closer to **at least** retrieving the spellbook safely, let alone to finding out Hawk Moth's identity.   
  
From the way things were lately, it was always "bad day for putting the plan in motion" this, "I just remembered I have a metric tonne of work today" that, or the annoyingly common "akuma-and/or-sentimonster-just-when-the-time-is-right-which-leaves-me-too-exhausted-to-go-through-with-anything" problem.   
  
Just moments before the call, she had temporarily released two kwamis in particular – Sass and Trixx – so as to let them discuss a potential plan to retrieve the spellbook without causing any suspicion. A plan which, sadly, was full of one shortcoming after another –Trixx was anything but great at planning, which Sass pointed out repeatedly while living up to his name in the process, with the discussion seemingly going nowhere.   
  
"Guess we'll have to discuss the plan later. Trixx, Sass, you're dismissed for now. " – Before either kwami could protest, Marinette immediately took off the Fox Necklace and the Snake Bracelet, putting them back into the Miracle Box and hurriedly hiding it under her bed.   
  
"I can't believe it's already been a month, and yet I didn't get any closer to exposing Hawk Moth! I can't even check my initial suspicions about Gabriel a second time, because I might just get myself or Adrien or someone else in trouble all over again! Ugh, I'm a complete failure of a guardian…"– Marinette remarked as she sat down on her bed, feeling all kinds of tired, and having a suspicion that she might not get that much time to have all that much fun with Kagami that evening – she'd probably pass out sooner from sheer exhaustion.   
  
"You don't have to get so worked up about it, Marinette. Besides, you've a great opportunity to relax and unwind this evening, so why not take it? Maybe the reason you're not making any progress is that you're so tired and tense all the time. " – Tikki tried to reassure her, to which Marinette couldn't help but begrudgingly agree.   
  
"Yeah, maybe relaxing would be the best option." – As Marinette said that, Tikki flew closer over to her, and lightly nuzzled against her cheek, and it was at that particular moment that Sabine called out from downstairs: "Marinette, Kagami had just come over!"  
  
"Just give me a minute, maman!" – Marinette called out, while Tikki decided she might as well hide for the time being, as Marinette went down the ladder.   
  
Sure enough, there Kagami was, waiting before the door and fiddling with the strap on her bag – said bag likely containing things like spare clothes, a toothbrush, and probably even a sleeping bag. At the very least, the last item's presence in her bag was particularly obvious.   
  
"Okay, no need to get so nervous, Kagami. You've met Marinette's parents before – you've seen them on various formal meetings, so it's not like they don't know you all that well… Just try to keep your calm." – Kagami thought to herself as she entered the building.   
  
It was by that moment that Marinette had already rushed downstairs, and even went as far as to give Kagami a proper French greeting… Even if her lips did linger on Kagami's cheeks for a bit longer than they should've for a mere greeting.   
  
"Well, I can clearly tell those kisses are no mere formality." – Kagami joked after the greeting, though Marinette did feel a tad uneasy, since her parents were watching the whole interaction occur.

"Maman, papa…I told you quite a bit about Kagami before, and, well… There she is, I guess." – Marinette awkwardly introduced her girlfriend to her parents, smiling nervously as she did.   
  
"I have to say, you didn't choose wrong. You two really look like quite a lovely couple!" – Sabine cooed, much to Marinette's embarrassment. Not helping matters was Tom adding: "Guess the good taste does run in the family after all! "  
  
"Did I mention how invested my parents are in my love life?" – Marinette remarked through gritted teeth, yet Kagami seemed surprisingly unfazed as she went on to greet Marinette's parents properly: "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Madame Cheng and Monsieur Dupain."  
  
"Oh! Where are my manners! Maybe you'd like some tea, Kagami?" – Sabine offered, to which Kagami agreed with a quiet nod. Just before running off, however, Sabine added: "Also, no need to be so formal here. Just call me Sabine, and I'm sure Tom wouldn't mind if you refer to him by name either."  
  
Well, all Marinette hoped for was that things wouldn't get too awkward…

* * *

"So, if you wouldn't mind, could you tell us a bit about yourself? Your hobbies, your home life, or how Marinette and you got together, for instance?"  
  
While Sabine was busy with the tea, everyone else gathered in the dining room for the time being. And of course, Tom was quick to start asking Kagami questions, though at least he made sure not to come on too strongly.   
  
"My hobbies consist of fencing, archery, and the occasional ice skating for fun. My home life is not much to talk about – I basically live and die by my strict schedule, and my mother may as well be just another teacher of mine, considering I'm homeschooled, though not isolated as you can tell. As for how Marinette and I got together… Let's just say we had a bit of a rocky start at first, but then everything got much better, even if we did have to go through quite a bit of hardship to get to this point." – Kagami explained almost in a single breath, not even noticing the cup of tea handed to her by Sabine.   
  
Marinette, meanwhile, was just silently sipping tea, not wanting to speak up due to feeling a tad embarrassed after remembering how much she mistreated Kagami prior to that one friendship riddle game, and Kagami's "rocky start" remark did not do anything to help Marinette forget how she – completely unapologetically, too – treated her up until then.   
  
"Still, it's nice to know that you two overcame your initial bad first impressions of each other and got into a great romantic relationship." – Sabine remarked, having already taken her seat at the dining table and already sipping her tea.   
  
Well, at least Marinette was thankful that her parents weren't making the situation any more awkward than it already was…   
  
"Pretty sure you and Kagami are already thinking of names for your future adoptive kids, aren't you, Marinette? "  
  
Okay, Marinette immediately took her remark about her parents' awkwardness back. Or at least, that remark now only applied to Sabine, as Tom's enthusiasm and sheer investment in Marinette's love life were both a blessing and a curse.   
  
Not that Kagami was at all fazed by the question, however, as she replied in her usual stoic tone: "Frankly, we didn't think that far ahead." – And then her tone immediately shifted to a more mischievous one as she added: "Or at least, **I** didn't – not so sure about Marinette's plans."  
  
**Scratch that, everyone in the room seemed to try their best to embarrass her today. **  
  
Not feeling like dying of embarrassment anytime soon, Marinette gulped her tea right down – she was really glad that it already cooled down by that moment – after which she bolted from her seat and, practically pulling Kagami off the chair by her shirt collar, ran off upstairs together with her, not even bothering to say a single word on the matter.   
  
**This was going to be a long evening… **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. Been a whole frickin' month since I last updated this. The intense heat in Omsk was definitely not doing me any good, as I couldn't even bring myself to write anything. Thankfully, my writing block has finally stopped, and I think I might write the next few chapters somewhat quicker.   
Also, here's hoping the secondhand embarrassment from reading this won't be too bad - be it from the situations Marinette gets into, or from my poor attempts at writing that type of humor. This one really took too long, and I'm still feeling like I could do something better.   
Darky Out!


	22. Unwinding

"Well… You've made quite an impression on my parents alright. "  
  
As Marinette shut the trapdoor and uttered just that remark, looking beet-red and clearly embarrassed from the jokes made at her expense a few moments prior, Kagami instead was busy taking a good look around her girlfriend's bedroom.   
  
Well, maybe Marinette was right about Kagami's room being "death of individuality in bedroom form", because Kagami certainly felt as if her bedroom was blander than a hospital ward when compared to Marinette's.   
  
Though Marinette's living space wasn't nearly in as much of a "creative chaos" as Kagami imagined it would be – au contraire, the room was rather neat, and although the design sketches lining the wall did give off a slight "creative process aftermath" vibe, the room overall felt comfortable and welcoming, not to mention it felt as if every inch of the room expressed Marinette's (usually) cheerful and bubbly personality.   
  
"On one hand, I'm glad that you and my parents got along so well, but on the other, I feel like burying myself alive from sheer embarrassment…" – Marinette continued, briefly interrupting Kagami's room assessment moment. Admittedly, Kagami couldn't help but chuckle as she heard that statement from her girlfriend.   
  
It was rare for Kagami's more mischievous side to show through so explicitly - last she remembered of her more mischievous acts was during the time when she, Marinette and Adrien escaped from that one stuffy as heck party - , yet something about the friendlier and more easy-going atmosphere in the Dupain-Cheng residence led her to loosen up a bit more, even if it was at her _hime_'s expense.   
  
"Then this means I know you well enough to rile you up without making you too uncomfortable. To get in a touché without leaving a bruise, if you will. " – She responded, which prompted Marinette to pout in response and, after a few moments of awkward silence and a devious smirk from Kagami, remark with a defeated sigh: "Yeah, guess I'm not one to talk about embarrassment when I do a good enough job embarrassing myself anyway."

Cue Kagami's smirk immediately dropping as she, in a more serious yet soft tone, attempted to reassure Marinette: "At the end of the day, I didn't mean to make you tense up even more. I guess I should'nt have made you even more uncomfortable. "

"Eh, it's alright, no hard feelings on that one. I may have overreacted back there myself. " - Marinette replied as Kagami gave her an "unwind hug" of sorts, that being enough to at least make Marinette feel her tension start diminishing.

After a few moments of relative quiet, still not letting go, Kagami asked: "So, anything in particular you've planned for this evening?"  
  
"Uh… Nope, not really. I mean, I didn't plan for a full-on sleepover tonight or anything like that… Also... Are you sure you didn't leave anything important downstairs?" – And sure enough, just as Marinette finished that question, cue the trapdoor opening up and Sabine peeking in, remarking: "Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything? I just wanted to tell you you forgot you bag downstairs, Kagami, and decided to bring it here instead. Though I do wonder why it weighs so much – what did you even pack in there? "  
  
"Oh, there's nothing much in there." – Kagami remarked in her more "official" tone, as she let go of Marinette while Sabine gave her the bag. – "Just a change of clothes for the night and for the next day, a toothbrush, a new tube of toothpaste, a sleeping bag, and the few things from a first aid kit that I could reasonably fit into the bag. Thanks for the help, Madame Cheng."   
  
"Well, if you think all of that is necessary, then I'm not one to judge that. Also, I appreciate your politeness, but please, just refer to me as Sabine. Anyway, have fun, you two! " – And with that said, Sabine left the room, shutting the trapdoor behind herself.   
  
"First aid kit? Really?" – Marinette deadpanned, barely holding back a giggle, to which Kagami replied in her more usual tone: "You may never know what can go wrong and when, so for all it's worth, there's nothing wrong with being reasonably prepared." – And then cue Kagami cracking that same "un-smile" of hers, the same one that she always showed whenever forcing herself to smile instead of smiling sincerely. Though this time, it seemed almost deliberate.   
  
"Yeah, fair point… So, maybe you want to watch a movie or something?"

* * *

After quite a bit of deliberation, Marinette being her typical indecisive self, and Kagami not exactly having much interest in most of the stuff in Marinette's movie library, the two instead decided to settle on binge-watching some anime series on Marinette's laptop instead, as said laptop's owner figured she might as well give her Crispyroll subscription some actual use. The series the two settled on watching was a mecha anime that seemed to be quite a hit a few years back, but fell out of favor all too quickly and was only remembered for it's deuteragonist – a horned girl with pink hair and quite the teasing attitude.   
  
"Just a few episodes in, and I'm already getting tired of that horned girl. Why is she so dead-set on that generic as heck guy, anyway?" – Kagami deadpanned shortly after another episode ended and Marinette paused the playlist for now.   
  
"Honestly, none of the other pilots are at all memorable here, not just the main character. That darn demon girl is the sole reason this anime was even remotely remembered!" – Marinette added to Kagami's complaints, though after a few moments, she also added: "Well, that, and the questionable mech designs. I get what they were going for with these, but come on now…"  
  
"And yet, despite all the gripes you have with this anime just a few episodes in, you still feel like going through a few more episodes before we get to the sleepover proper, right?" – Kagami remarked, to which Marinette groaned out a guilty "yes". Not that they'd have time to get to the next episode anyway, however, as Sabine once again peeked in at just the right time.   
  
"Marinette, dinner's ready. Kagami, would you mind to join in? I'm pretty sure that a plate of stir fry shouldn't disrupt your diet too much. "  
  
"Just give us a couple more moments, Mad- Sabine. We'll be downstairs shortly. " – Kagami replied, her tone awkwardly shifting from her usual overly official one to a more casual one at the exact moment of that verbal backspace. As Sabine left the room, Marinette couldn't help but sigh, adding: "So much for an uninterrupted movie night. Then again I did need a break from that mediocrity we just watched, so…"   
  
Just as the two went down the ladder, with Marinette rushing on forward while Kagami lagged behind a bit, she couldn't help but notice some odd object peering out from under Marinette's bed.   
  
**Said object looking a bit like an oddly-shaped lockbox. **

* * *

While Kagami and Marinette were having a more or less good time at the latter's place, some embarrassment notwithstanding, Juni was cleaning up around Kagami's room, and feeling anything but thrilled by her predicament, as she had to work overtime due to some... Interesting aftermath of Kagami's preparation for the sleepover at the Dupain-Chengs' residence.   
  
"Why yes, it's not like I had actual plans for tonight, and didn't want to stay overtime as the housemaid, no, Madame Tsurugi!" – Juni grumbled as she fixed up the futon. – "I **definitely** have no plans or personal life whatsoever, especially on a **Saturday night**! And that blind hag's not even going to pay me extra anyway, so why should I even bother? Oh yeah, because her daughter just **had **to run off at this specific time, and now I have to clear up the mess that brat left behind while she was busy stuffing everything but the kitchen sink into her bag!"  
  
The sheer bitterness outright exuding from Juni was more than enough to attract some unwanted attention, and soon enough, there was a black butterfly fluttering towards the Tsurugi household…

* * *

Back at the Dupain-Cheng residence's dining room, Kagami was quietly enjoying her meal, while Marinette and her parents were more busy casually chatting away with one another. What had Kagami quite surprised was how adept Marinette was at keeping the superhero side of her life out of conversations, not to mention being surprisingly good at fabricating cover stories for what she was doing when she happened to be in the general location where an akuma attack happened.   
  
Kagami wasn't excluded from the conversations either – far from it, she actively participated in either backing up Marinette's cover stories, answering more questions regarding her daily life, or just chiming in to whatever topic was currently being discussed.   
  
With all honesty, during that simple family dinner, Kagami couldn't help but feel like she was more at home with the Dupain-Chengs than she was in her own residence. True, Kagami wouldn't say she felt outright trapped in the Tsurugi residence, yet still, it felt less like a place where Kagami could relax and that she would safely call home, and more like just another training facility out of many.   
  
In what was her actual home, there was no relaxation to be had – only slightly lessened tension.   
  
But here, at the Dupain-Chengs' place?   
  
She felt like she was **really** at home.   
  
Still, that comforting thought wasn't the only thing that lingered in Kagami's head during the dinner – far from it. She was still thinking back to the odd oval-shaped lockbox she noticed in Marinette's bedroom, and felt the need to ask her about it when they would be back upstairs and alone with one another.   
  
Sure enough, as the dinner was over and everyone went their respective ways, once Kagami and Marinette were back in the latter's bedroom, Kagami was quick to speak up the moment Marinette shut the trapdoor: "Marinette, there is something we need to discuss. Or rather, a specific question I need to ask you. "

"Oh… Really? What is it specifically?" - Marinette asked, seeming a bit confused by her girlfriend's sudden questioning, yet having a bit of a hunch that Kagami's "specific question" wasn't related to their relationship in any way - at least, not directly, that is. 

Still remembering the conversation they had a few moments prior, and thus deciding not to discomfort Marinette too much, Kagami started off with a less direct question than just "What exactly is that oval lockbox doing under your bed and why do I have a lingering suspicion that you lied to me about whoever the Guardian is?", the question she opted for instead being the following:   
  
"**How much do you really trust me?**"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I may have had the pacing of this chapter all over the place, not to mention I had to revise quite a few parts of it. Still, at least it didn't take a whole month like the prior one, huh?


	23. Venting

"Sorry to be responding to a question with another question… But why are you asking me that?"  
  
The previously easy-going atmosphere in Marinette's room was now as tense as it could get, as the suddenness of the previous question and Kagami's vague phrasing have certainly made things more complicated than necessary.   
  
"Before you start worrying yourself sick, I assure you, it's not about anything regarding our relationship. To be completely specific, it's about some details of your double life that you attempted to withhold, but came slipping out of the woodwork when you least expected them to. Or rather, slipping out from under your bed. " – It was the last sentence uttered by Kagami here, coupled with her pointing at the Miracle Box peeking out from under Marinette's bed, that forced a moment of dawning comprehension from her.  
  
She really should've hidden the Miracle Box better, especially considering how perceptive Kagami is of the tiniest out-of-place slights, huh…   
  
"So, let me guess – you're that "new guardian" you talked about from time to time, and that there is the box containing the rest of the Miraculous your allies were using, give or take a few that weren't used just yet." – Kagami may have not been in on all of Marinette's exploits as Ladybug, but she knew enough to be able to make these kinds of assumptions.   
  
"Yes to all of these." – Marinette sighed out as she pulled the Miracle Box out from under the bed and, sitting back up, placed it in her lap. Kagami also noticed that the black spots on the box lit up with various symbols as Marinette touched it, with the symbol representing the Dragon Miraculous catching her eye the most.   
  
Before Kagami could say anything else, Marinette continued her explanation, in the same tone: "And to answer your question, Kagami – it's not a matter of how much I trust **you** specifically, but rather how much I can trust **anyone**. And nowadays… I feel like I can hardly trust even the people closest to me. "   
  
"I'm willing to hear you out if you need to speak your mind, you know. " – Kagami tried to reassure her girlfriend in a softer tone, sitting down next to Marinette as she put the Miracle Box off to the side.   
  
"Well… In the past few weeks, quite a lot has happened…"

* * *

There was certainly a lot to take in for Kagami. And while the part about Marinette's necessity to juggle school life, hobbies and superhero duty was already troubling enough, it's what she heard about the Miracle Queen incident – apparently, only Marinette and whoever Cat Noir was knew all the details, with everyone else either being far enough away from where everything happened, or being brainwashed and thus unable to remember a thing. – that left Kagami realizing just how much Marinette has gone through in the days before the night when they had that talk on the balcony. Not helping matters was hearing about how Marinette had even **more **responsibilities thrust upon her on top of what she already had, which served to just add more pressure to her life than necessary.   
  
"And I thought **my** life was too intense…" – Kagami remarked inwardly as Marinette mentioned now having to take extra effort to hide even more details of her life from others, and how her parents nearly happened upon the Miracle Box a few times, with her being at a loss as to where to hide it now.   
  
"And, well, that's about it. Sure, I'm not in any position to complain – I mean, I can't really run away from my duties as long as Hawk Moth is still out there – but at the same time…" – Marinette let that sentence trail off, yet that seemed to be enough to give Kagami the general idea, which she voiced a few moments after: "At the same time, you feel like the universe could at least stop thrusting so much upon you so rapidly."  
  
"In a way, yes. Sorry if that seems a bit selfish of me." – Marinette remarked, sighing as she went to try and hide the Miracle Box a little better. Though Kagami's sudden chuckling a few moments after did catch her off-guard.   
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"That you would think of yourself as "selfish" for wanting some time off from all of this. I always thought my life was busy, and felt like I maybe could some proper rest and a break away from the monotony, and yet here you are, having to juggle so many responsibilities, and yet thinking of yourself as "selfish" just for wanting a break from it." – As Kagami said that, Marinette sat back down next to her, and she continued: "I thought I was the only one taking a break today, but I guess we both need some rest and, you know, at least one day of making the most of our teenage years."  
  
"Perhaps you're right. I guess it's best if we don’t bring the whole thing up for the rest of the evening, then, and maybe just try to relax." – As Marinette said that, Kagami gave her a soft, reassuring hug, and even snuck in a light kiss on the cheek.   
  
"That's more like it, Mari-hime. While we're at it, how about we watch something else instead of that load of mecha nonsense, maybe? Pretty sure you've got to have at least something more light-hearted and not as shoddy in your library. " – Kagami's tone has clearly changed to a more mischievous one as she said that, to which Marinette certainly agreed, going over to retrieve her laptop…  
  
Only for some distant, booming scream of "_**Kaaagaaamiii!**_" to suddenly startle her.   
  
"Kagami…" – Marinette was visibly unsettled by what she knew to be the warning signs of an ongoing akuma attack, with all the anger of the akumatized person seemingly directed at Kagami, which served to unnerve her even further. – "You… Did tell your mother you were going away for the night, did you?"  
  
"I did. She even checked through my schedule, made the necessary rearrangements, and helped me out with packing up, so she had no problem with me going away. Not to mention…"  
  
"**That voice sounded nothing like my mother's.**"

* * *

(A few moments prior…)  
  
"Juni! If you broke anything in Kagami's room, I'm pretty sure a single paycheck won't be enough to cover the insurance for it!" – Tomoe shouted out as she heard some strange noise coming from Kagami's room, where Juni was cleaning up at the moment, and where the akuma sent a while back has already fluttered in.   
  
Yet as Tomoe went over to the bedroom, a part of her sensed that something was… Off. The air near the room was unnaturally tense, and… Wait a moment. Tomoe could swear that the vacuum cleaner normally used by Juni never made as much noise as she could hear right now. What was even going on in there?   
  
Not that Tomoe had any moments to comprehend what happened, as the moment she opened the door, Juni – or rather, Maid of Disorder – slashed at the woman with her vacuum-cleaner-turned-scythe, turning her to ash in an instant and vacuuming said ashes up before they even hit the ground.  
  
"_I'm doing the world a favor by cleaning out rich filth like you, you know! Now to find your worthless brat of a daughter and clean her out of this world as well! Afterwards, I'll purge all you worthless filth out of this city! The Bourgeois, The Agrestes, and the other rich families – they'll all be nothing more than dust to be cleaned out by me, Maid of Disorder!"  
  
_From there onward, Juni – now clad in what seemed to be a red-and-black mockery of the archetypal French Maid outfit, and wielding a vacuum cleaner with a giant scythe-like blade attached to the brush of it – broke out the window and rushed through the street, indiscriminately cleaving everything in her path in half as she shouted out the name of the girl she was looking for. People, cars, lampposts, trees – nothing was spared from Maid of Disorder's rampage as she cleaved everything in half, with people and trees turning to ash the moment they got cut clean through, yet the villainess did not bother to vacuum them up – after all, she was saving space for the more… Important targets.   
  
Hawk Moth just let her rampage on freely and didn't attempt to redirect her anywhere – he figured that the noise and destruction Maid of Disorder caused was going to be more than enough to get Ladybug's and Cat Noir's attention and draw them out.   
  
**He had no idea how close Maid of Disorder's current target was to Ladybug herself at the moment. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one was a bit of a handful, mostly because I had to rewrite Marinette and Kagami's entire conversation from scratch. On the bright side, after I was satisfied with the corrections, I had extra space left for an introduction of Juni's akumatized identity, yay!


	24. Maid of Disorder - Part 1

Shortly after transforming and going out to check what was going on – though not before giving Kagami a parting kiss on the cheek and apologizing for the ruined night out – Marinette headed for the source of the raging screams, which were beginning to intertwine with the sounds of people screaming in terror the closer she got to it.  
  
Sure enough, Maid of Disorder was rampaging throughout the Parisian streets, cutting through everything and everyone in her path indiscriminately, turning people to dust as she slashed through them, yet refusing to vacuum it up for reasons yet unknown to Marinette.  
  
"Geez, what's this maid's problem? One too many idiots walking on wet floors with dirty shoes? Or some creep who has a thing for French maids got her to the breaking point? Because honestly, if it were the latter, I'd be just as ticked off in her position. "  
  
Of course it was Cat Noir with his quips all over again. Ladybug sighed and, turning to face her partner, remarked, trying not to let her partner on the fact that she knew a bit too much: "I don't quite know who this one is, to be completely honest, and what caused her akumatization. All I know is, she seems hell-bent on going after Kagami for some reason."  
  
"_You definitely had to have seen that red car somewhere around here! Where has it gone?! Answer me!_" – Maid of Disorder shouted out shortly after pulling some unlucky passerby in with her vacuum cleaner and slamming him against the pavement, keeping him pinned down.  
  
"Mademoiselle, please, just let me go! I know nothing about that particular red car you were looking for! " – Apparently, Maid of Disorder treated that answer as the wrong one, if the fact that her response was slashing the poor guy in half lengthwise in a single fell swoop, with him turning to ash the moment the blade made contact, was of any indication.  
  
"_Forget it! I'll tear down the entirety of Paris if I have to! This city is through and through dirty, and I, Maid of Disorder, shall be the one to clean out the filth! _" – Juni shouted out, once again rushing down the street and continuing her seemingly aimless rampage.  
  
"Okay, forget the theory about the breaking point, she's just a neat freak with a hero complex. Anyway, any ideas on where the akuma might be? " – Cat Noir asked while he and Ladybug continued observing Maid of Disorder's rampage from the rooftops.  
  
"It's all too likely to be in the vacuum cleaner-scythe she's using. Problem is, we can't just rush in towards her without getting ourselves pulled in and hacked apart. " – After saying that, Ladybug immediately went on to use her Lucky Charm…  
  
Getting what she recognized as a **kitsune mask**, of all things.  
  
"I swear, the universe's messages have gotten a lot blunter since you became the new guardian, Bugaboo. So, is it time to bring back that foxy friend of yours? " – Cat Noir quipped, to which Ladybug sighed and explained: "Cat Noir, just try and distract Maid of Disorder for long enough while I go on to retrieve the Fox Miraculous. I can't really call upon it's current wielder just yet, considering her identity has been compromised, but I still have a plan. Just trust me on this one. "  
  
"Been trusting you since day one, Ladybug, and you know it." – Cat Noir replied as his partner left, and soon after rushed onward to distract Maid of Disorder for the time being. 

* * *

"That was quick." – Kagami remarked as Marinette rushed into her own bedroom through the ceiling trapdoor, detransforming as she did.  
  
"Not really. I just came back to retrieve a particular Miraculous. I need to be back into the fight as soon as I can, and I ought to be there as Foxbug. " – Marinette explained as she looked for where exactly she hid the Miracle Box after that talk she had with Kagami a few moments prior. Upon retrieving the Fox Miraculous, Marinette was already half a mind to put the necklace on as she opened the jewelry case containing it…  
  
Only to take a step back for the time being. Clearly, the mask she got upon using the Lucky Charm being a full-on kitsune mask had more significance than just telling her which Miraculous to use…  
  
She really needed to ask Tikki about whether or not her personal biases in any way factored into some of the Lucky Charm outputs.   
  
"Actually, I think it's time you go back into the fray." – Marinette remarked as she held out the jewelry case containing the Fox Miraculous to Kagami, and went on with her usual speech:  
  
"Kagami Tsurugi, this is the Miraculous of the Fox. It grants the power of Illusion. You will-"  
  
"Marinette, I'm sure your recruitment speeches may be inspiring to any potential wielders, but now is not the time." – Kagami interrupted as she took the box from Marinette's hand, with Trixx emerging from the necklace as soon as she opened the case up.  
  
"Well now, things are certainly getting interesting! Name's Trixx, by the way." – The kwami replied. – "My brother Longg told me you can be a bit impatient at times, so I'll get right to the point instead – my power is Mirage, allowing you to create a controlled illusion once per transformation, and by calling out "Reality!", you can dispel that illusion at will. You'll only have five minutes after using this power once, after which you'll need to recharge. The transformation phrase is "Trixx, let's pounce!", and if you need to detransform early, it's "Trixx, let's rest!". Any more questions?"  
  
Kagami didn't need a second explanation as she put the necklace on, deadpanning: "I'm going to have a lengthy talk with Longg about the importance of forgiving and forgetting after this, I swear. "   
  
"Don't worry, my brother's not mad at you, he just told us to be more careful with your impatience in case Marinette decides to trust you with any other Miraculous, like she did right now." – Trixx replied, breaking out into a mischievous giggle after finishing the sentence. As for Ladybug, she decided not to pay much attention to the fox kwami's shenanigans, and immediately rushed back out, remarking: "After you're done, follow me. I'll explain the plan on the way."  
  
"So be it, then. Trixx, let's pounce!"

* * *

"Hey, Almighty Janitor! Don't you think that the mess you're making here is a bit counterproductive to your work?"  
  
Getting Maid of Disorder's attention was an easy task for Cat Noir, even if the screams of civilians could have very well drowned out that earlier quip of his.  
  
"_Bold words for an alley cat within vacuum cleaner range! And I'm no janitor, I am the Maid of Disorder! Prepare to be turned to dust with the rest of the filth dirtying up this city! _" – Maid of Disorder remarked, and was just about to lunge at Cat Noir… Only for Hawk Moth to intervene the moment she decided to, making her stop in her tracks as he spoke to her: "If you disintegrate either Ladybug or Cat Noir, their Miraculouses will disappear together with them. And I need them **both **intact. So keep that in mind. "  
  
"_Yeah, yeah, I get it, just don't stop me in my tracks next time like this, imbecile!_"  
  
"Hey, since you've got ol' Hawky on the line, tell him he really ought to know how to relax. I was about to have a perfectly pleasant Saturday night before he decided to send one of his akumas after you. " – After saying that, Cat Noir didn't even get any time to react, as Maid of Disorder decided to just drop all pretenses and pull him in with her vacuum cleaner, pinning him against a nearby wall afterwards.  
  
"_I guess my cleanup duty has to wait – I need to retrieve something my employer needs first! So I'll be taking that ring of yours!_"  
  
Not that she would have an easy time doing so, given that Cat Noir kicked her away as soon as he got the opportunity, and was just about to rush in for another blow…  
  
Until he noticed something unusual nearby. Or rather, someone, who was standing in the middle of the street, bokken in hand.  
  
"Kagami?"

And it seemed that he wasn't the only one who noticed her presence, either.  
  
"_Hah! So the worthless brat came here on her own! Good, I was waiting for this! Time to clean the filthy rich out! _" – And sure enough, Maid of Disorder immediately kicked Cat Noir away and rushed after Kagami, who had immediately turned around and ran through the street, soon ducking into a side alley.   
  
Or rather, it was an illusion of Kagami doing so, with the real Kagami – currently wielding the Fox Miraculous – sitting on a particular roof nearby, trying to concentrate on directing the illusion through the alleyways and trying to at least make her movements convincing enough. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be blowing her cover away just yet, and thus Maid of Disorder easily took the illusionary bait, rushing after it through the alleys and swinging with her scythe wildly as she did, yelling "_Get back here, filth! It's time to purge you once and for all!_"

"Oh, now I get it. Whoever is directing that illusion has either already used the Fox Miraculous a few times before, or is a fast learner." - Cat Noir remarked as soon as Maid of DIsorder was out of his hearing range, and soon Ladybug landed next to him, adding: "Let's just say she's the latter, and leave it at that. Now we have to follow Maid of Disorder without her knowledge. Kitsune should be able to lead her to a particular dead end where we can easily corner her."  
  
"No! Get back and retrieve Cat Noir's ring, right now!" – Hawk Moth called out, but it seemed that Maid of Disorder's sheer blind rage was more than enough for her to drown him out. – "I swear, it's as if no one listens to orders these days. And I can't even attempt to shock her into submission, either, given how focused she is on that particular target of hers. Guess I've no choice but to let her have free reign for now. I seem to be really losing my touch as of late… "  
  
"**…Still, what purpose there is to Mlle. Tsurugi leading Maid of Disorder through the back alleys like this? She's not exactly the type to run, after all… "**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, sorry I couldn't write a full-on detailed description of Fox!Kagami's AKA Kitsune's outfit. I don't know jack shit about good superhero outfit design, given that I don't hate the living daylights out of canon female superhero outfits in ML, unlike SOME FANS. And while I know that Kitsune is not the most imaginative name I could use... Hey, Inari was already taken.  
Anyway, thanks to SuportiveBlue and BenRG for giving me the idea for the whole Fox!Kagami thing. Admittedly, I was going to go through with a plan that would make use of the "not the powers that make the hero" trope, but I guess that works much better.


	25. Maid of Disorder - Part 2

"I have to admit, whoever the new Fox superhero is, they are handling that illusion surprisingly well. They captured her **athletic** side especially well. "   
  
Given that the Maid of Disorder was busy chasing after the illusionary Kagami, and thus didn't pay much attention to her surroundings, Ladybug and Cat Noir had an easy enough time trailing her, though Marinette was certain that her partner's remarks were probably going to divert Maid of Disorder's attention from the "bait" if she were to hear them, so she replied, keeping her voice down: "Cat Noir, please, try not to blow our cover. We can't let Hawk Moth know we've got a new Fox Miraculous wielder just yet."  
  
"Yeah, I get it, you don't want a repeat of the Miracle Queen incident and all that, that's _purr-fectly_ understandable. Speaking of which, I guess it's true you'll be replacing the others as well?" – And that was a question that made Ladybug stop in her tracks.   
  
Truth be told, she hardly knew the answer to that question herself. She had no doubt, the Miraculouses she chose for their respective wielders certainly fit them like a glove, but with all their identities being compromised, Marinette wasn't sure if it would be worth the risk. Sure, with Kagami, she made an exception **just **once… Okay, maybe twice… Okay, she was undoubtedly biased...   
  
But that was just one of many hints that, in the grand scheme of things, the situation called for a better solution than just "Don't bother calling upon them until it's absolutely necessary".   
  
And given that she ghosted everyone but Kagami, there was little doubt that putting the explanation off was only going to make things worse in the long run.   
  
"Cat Noir… Honestly, I wish I knew the answer to that myself. All I know is that with Hawk Moth still at large, I cannot just drag any of my past teammates back into action recklessly. " – Ladybug responded, soon resuming the chase – by now, they were getting rather close to that specific dead-end, and so was Maid of Disorder. The corner at which Kitsune's illusion would take a turn only to be dispelled just out of Maid of Disorder's view was already close by.   
  
"Have you told any of your teammates about what's the cause? Or are you going to just ghost them until everything resolves itself? " – Cue another moment of Ladybug stopping in her tracks, though this time it was caused both by the question – which Marinette had to admit brought up a good point – **and** by her catching a glimpse of someone running right after Maid of Disorder.   
  
Oh, of course. Leave it to Alya to rush into the frontlines to get news for the Ladyblog, even if it's in the middle of an otherwise quiet evening…   
  
"Cat Noir, keep going after Maid of Disorder. I've got a reckless journalist to get out of trouble. If everything goes to plan, the illusion should wear off just right out of Maid of Disorder's view, and she will end up at the dead end we'll catch her out at. I'll catch up to you later. " – And before Cat Noir could say anything on the matter, Ladybug immediately rushed towards Alya, leaving her partner behind.  
  
"Just don't get too **catty **with her, will ya? " – Cat Noir quipped, and, figuring that trying to question Ladybug's decisions would be as fruitless as ever, rushed onward to continue tailing Maid of Disorder. His target was already nearing that specific dead end, and he could see the illusion dissipate into orange smoke just out of her view…

* * *

To be completely honest, right now, Alya's motivation for chasing down an akumatized villain that was capable of turning her to dust with a single slash wasn't entirely about the usual Ladyblog stuff.  
  
Oh sure, there was a noticeable content starvation as of late – give or take a couple reblogged news recordings, due to her being unable to see some of the battles in person to record them unedited – yet the need to publish new content was nowhere near the top of the list of reasons for her recklessness.   
  
And while initially she did sneak out of her apartment to try and get a proper recording of the villain for the Ladyblog, noticing Kagami seemingly trying to lure Maid of Disorder elsewhere was what really got her interest peaked, and left her feeling that she **had** to see the whole thing through.   
  
"What is that all about, anyway? Knowing how Kagami just rushed head-first after Desperada back there, I wouldn't exactly peg her to be the type to run, unless she's trying to get that crazy maid into a more proper position where she'd have some sort of combat advantage over her… Or at least she **thinks **she might have some advantage over her there, who knows what's going on in her head sometimes…" – Alya thought as she continued her run after Maid of Disorder. – "Either way, I get the feeling Marinette's gonna be worried sick if she finds-"  
  
Alya's trail of thought was interrupted as she got rather unceremoniously yanked back by Ladybug's yo-yo, falling flat on her bottom and nearly dropping her phone.   
  
"Ladybug? What's this about? " – Alya asked, seeming rather confused by the situation as Ladybug herself walked over to her.   
  
"I know that your blog has been a little barren as of late, but I don't think risking your life for a live report is worth it." – Marinette remarked in response, leading to a sigh from Alya followed by an explanation as she paused the livestream: "It's not exactly about the Ladyblog, to be honest. The girl this maid's currently chasing after is, well, she is a friend of mine… Okay, not quite **my **friend just yet, but she is a very, very important person to my **best friend**, so I figured-"  
  
"Alya, calm down. I can assure you, that girl will be alright. I don't normally take extra effort to save any particular civilians, but I made sure Cat Noir would be able to get her somewhere safe. " – Of course, she knew that was a big old lie, yet was there any other way to go about it without telling Alya that she's been replaced as the current Fox Miraculous wielder? – "As for you, I suggest you also go back home for now. Trust me, this one is not worth the risk."  
  
"Okay, I guess I can take your word on it. Guess I'd better head on back home…" – Alya was just about to start the stream back up to issue an apology for the viewers and turn it off for good, and Ladybug was just about to leave as well…  
  
When Alya suddenly started up on a rather uncomfortable question, shutting the stream off without any warning to the viewers as she did: "By the way, it's been a while since Rena Rouge was back in action, if you catch my drift. What happened? "   
  
Ugh. Maybe Cat Noir was right. Ghosting her teammates until everything resolves itself was hardly a proper way to go about it.   
  
Taking a deep breath to calm down, and figuring that it's best to tell Alya everything as-is, Ladybug explained: "Alya, there is a reason I didn't call upon you – or just about anyone else, for that matter – as of late. I know it may be hard to believe, but…"  
  
"**Your identity was compromised a while ago. And so was almost everyone else's, save for me and Cat Noir.**" ("And Bunnyx, though she's a very, very complicated case…" - Marinette added in her thoughts, yet didn't say it loud, given Alya's lack of knowledge about that specific superhero.)  
  
Cue Alya's shocked expression as she heard the bad news, which later shifted into a disappointed frown.   
  
"Huh. Compromised, you say…" – She replied, putting her phone back in her pocket. – "Tch. Figured it would get to this sooner or later. So what even happened? "  
  
"There was a traitor amongst those I chose later down the line. I really, really should've known better. I can't really tell you who it was, but-"  
  
"**It was Chloe's fault, wasn't it?**" – Alya deadpanned, interrupting Ladybug.   
  
Huh?!  
  
How did she even come to **that **conclusion?  
  
"Hit it dead-center, didn't I?" – Alya continued, noticing the silent treatment she got in response from Ladybug. – "I don't quite have any idea of how she caught wind of my and the others' identities, but somehow, I just had the feeling that if any of your "recruits" were to out the rest of us to Hawk Moth, it would undoubtedly be Chloe. Too bad I don't remember a thing about any of it happening, though… "   
  
"I figured it would be quite confusing, so allow me to explain what happened-" – Marinette finally spoke up, though Alya's reply had her a tad surprised: "As much as I'd like to know what led to us all getting outed, I see that you've still got a battle to win right now, so I'm more than willing to wait. "  
  
"Right…" – Ladybug remarked guiltily, and, just before she was about to swing away, added: "I'll explain everything later. I guess it's only fair that I tell everything first to one of my earliest "recruits". Maybe you could wait for me at your apartment balcony, and I'd drop by and tell you everything there? "  
  
"You don't really have to go through such trouble, Ladybug. But thanks anyway. " – And with that, Alya headed on back to her place while Ladybug swung off, rushing towards the dead end where she and Cat Noir agreed to corner Maid of Disorder.   
  
**Well, guess this warranted a detour on the way back home…  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly, the second half of this chapter was the reason it took so damn long. So much for my promise not to take a bloody bajillion years, huh... 
> 
> Not helping matters was how I was out sick for a week, which stalled progress even more. Nothing serious, just a common cold (I actually took time to get tested, so I know it wasn't anything truly serious) but it still was a pain to deal with. 
> 
> And even now, I'm still unhappy with how this chapter turned out. So... Yeah.


	26. Maid of Disorder - Part 3

"_Enough of your trashy comedy routine! Where did that filthy rich brat go?!"_  
  
While Ladybug was busy resolving the Alya situation, Cat Noir was left one on one against Maid of Disorder, and so far, the fight was going on mostly even footing, without either side getting any real advantage.   
  
"Come on now, even if I knew where she went, do you think I would actually tell you? " – Cat Noir remarked in response to Maid of Disorder's question as she frantically looked around the dead end shortly after nearly pinning him against the wall.   
  
"It seems Kagami has already escaped." – Hawk Moth interjected, much to Maid of Disorder's chagrin. – "For all it's worth, Ladybug probably led her way out of your reach by now. **Now can you finally focus on what's actually important and retrieve Cat Noir's Miraculous?!**"  
  
To say that Maid of Disorder didn't appreciate that bit of telepathic shouting from her master would be a massive understatement, as she immediately snapped back: "_And how about **you** shut up and don't tell me how to do my own job?!_"  
  
"How typical of that old man to pawn off his work on somebody else when he himself can do it all just as well." – Cat Noir quipped, and that seemed to be enough to provoke Maid of Disorder into attacking him yet again, slashing away at him indiscriminately as he dodged every attack near-effortlessly and tried to lure her to a thinner part of the alleyway, all while continuing on with his banter: "Last I checked, he was totally capable of besting me and Ladybug in a fight, so what's his excuse?"   
  
"_You leave my employer out of this!_" – Maid of Disorder shouted out, slashing away at Cat Noir with wild abandon, with him just barely managing to parry each oncoming attack. By now, he felt that she was starting to tire him out, and was already hoping Ladybug would show up soon…  
  
"Actually, I think you're due for a change in management!"  
  
Both Maid of Disorder's and Cat Noir's attention was turned to the source of said exclamation, and of course, it was Ladybug who decided to swing in as she went through with that remark, kicking Maid of Disorder in the face as she did.   
  
"And not a moment too soon, my lady." – Cat Noir remarked as Ladybug landed next to him. – "What took you so long?"  
  
Deciding not to bother Cat Noir with details he didn't know just yet, Ladybug went with a half-truth reply: "All I can say is, talking Alya out of running head-first into danger proved to be more difficult than I estimated."  
  
"_Enough of this! I'm already working overtime with you two as it is! _" – Maid of Disorder shouted out as she got back up, instead opting to try and pull either of the heroes towards herself with the vacuum cleaner proper. While Ladybug was able to get out of the way, Cat Noir wasn't nearly as lucky, and was soon pinned to the wall.   
  
"_I guess the cat had good reasons to be afraid of the vacuum cleaner, after all!_" – Maid of Disorder quipped as she attempted to reach for Cat Noir's ring, keeping him pinned to the wall and holding the non-bladed part of her vacuum cleaner up to his neck. Any sudden moves would end up met with a knee-jerk reaction that could result in Cat Noir getting turned to dust, so he was essentially trapped, and the most he could do was at least try to keep his hand of the villain's reach, as using Cataclysm early wasn't exactly the best option right now.   
  
Ladybug was certain that she had to act fast, or otherwise Cat Noir might lose his Miraculous or end up disintegrated. Probably both, in that exact order.   
  
"**Lucky Charm!**"  
  
The item she got was… Well, it wasn't the weirdest she's got, though by now, that bar was set pretty low, considering she got a **box of paperclips, **of all things.  
  
Hmm… Come to think of it, aren't objects like paperclips getting sucked in usually a common cause for vacuum cleaners malfunctioning? Now she just needed to think of a way to trick Maid of Disorder into trying to pull her in and getting a load of paperclips instead…   
  
**An old antenna at one of the roofs. **

**Her yo-yo. **

**Maid of Disorder's vacuum cleaner.**

**And finally, the box of paperclips. **

"Going to need a few of them just to get her attention, though…" – Putting one of the paperclips between her thumb and index finger and aiming down at the villainess, Ladybug pulled it back to the point it got launched right out of her hand... And right in Maid of DIsorder's face, and judging by her wincing and immediately turning to face the source of the distraction, the provocation worked just fine.   
  
"**_Stop scattering all this random trash around here!_**" – Maid of Disorder shouted out, and attempted to pull Ladybug in with the vacuum cleaner… Just in time for her to open up the box of paperclips and let them pour out, all getting caught up in Maid of Disorder's vacuum cleaner while Ladybug pulled herself up and towards the roof instead. By that point, Cat Noir already snuck away, and Maid of Disorder's vacuum cleaner started making some really unsettling noises, giving out pretty soon.   
  
"Looks like you just **voided your warranty**." – Cat Noir quipped, having snuck up on Maid of Disorder by now as she stood there, shaking her broken vacuum cleaner as if attempting to get the paperclips out. Before she could even turn around, Cat Noir immediately shouted out "Cataclysm!" and, with a slight poke, completely destroyed Maid of Disorder's only weapon, with the akuma soon flying out of the appliance's body.   
  
"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma! **Time to de-evilize!"  
  
**The usual process went off without a hitch, and soon enough, a white butterfly flew out of the alley, punctuated by Ladybug's "Bye-bye, little butterfly!", later followed by her using Miraculous Ladybug and undoing the damage done by Maid of Disorder's rampage.   
  
As for Maid of Disorder – or rather, Juni – she dropped to her knees and, after detransforming, looked around the alley confusedly, rather surprised that she ended up somewhere that seemed to be very far away from the Tsurugi residence.   
  
"Pound it!" - Ladybug and Cat Noir exclaimed, doing their usual fist bump. Although Ladybug did find herself wishing that Kitsune would be there as well - after all, her plan wouldn't even come to fruition if not for her... Come to think of it, she might have to retrieve the Fox Miraculous from Kagami first before going over to Alya's place. Although, come to think of it, her parents were probably going to notice her absence, so maybe getting Kagami to help her throw off suspicion would be a good idea...   
  
"Huh? How did I get here of all places? I was just cleaning up at the Tsurugi residence, and then…" – After snapping out of her initial daze, however, Juni went into outright panic mode: "Oh god, Madame Tsurugi is going to murder me if she finds out I've been shirking my duties! I've got to get back to the residence ASAP! "  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure whoever you're working for will understand what happened." – Shortly after that reply, Ladybug heard both her earrings and Cat Noir's ring beeping, which was clearly their cue to leave now.   
  
"Well, I'd better get her over there safely on time, so I can at least explain everything to both her and whoever thought that making her work overtime on a Saturday night was a good idea. See ya! " – Cat Noir quipped, lifting Juni off the ground before pole-vaulting out of the alley together with her. As for Ladybug, she decided she'd take a quick detour back home first before heading to Alya's place. 

* * *

Detransforming just next to Kagami – who was currently sitting at the balcony and waiting for Trixx to recharge as he slowly munched on a protein bar – Marinette sighed and remarked: "Well, that was a busy evening. So much for the sleepover."  
  
"I take it you've got to talk something out with the past wielder of this particular Miraculous, don't you now. " – Kagami replied matter-of-factly, turning to face Marinette as she plopped down onto the recliner just beside her.   
  
"Yes, though I have to admit, you managed this one surprisingly well. You really are a fast learner after all." – Marinette remarked, giving Kagami a light kiss on the cheek, whilst Tikki dove into Marinette's purse, looking for cookies – after all, she needed to recharge.   
  
"I wouldn't want her of all people as my permanent owner, though. She's just as Longg said – impulsive and impatient. Still, the sheer vigor with which she was jamming that protein bar down my throat was something to behold! " – Trixx butted in, much to Kagami's embarrassment, though her expression hardly even showed it.   
  
"I'm sorry, what?" – Marinette did a double-take, barely holding back a chuckle.   
  
"Trixx has more of a preference for stuff that is all taste and no nutritional value. Junk food, in layman's terms. So, when I told him that the protein bars I brought with me was all I had, guess who began complaining and asking me to at least go downstairs and get something from your kitchen… Then started munching away at the protein bar anyway. " – Kagami's explanation was almost enough to get Marinette to laugh out loud, yet as much as she wanted to stay back and listen more, she still had unfinished business to take care of.   
  
"Well, I guess we've rested enough." – As Marinette said that, getting up from her seat, Kagami attempted to take off the Fox Miraculous and hand it back to her (Much to Trixx's annoyance, as he was starting to take a liking to the taste of the protein bar he was eating), only to get interrupted by her as she explained: "My parents might come in and try to check on me, so you'd need to create a convincing enough MIrage in case they decide to show up. Also, you may or may not have to maintain the Mirage for it's entire duration in case they decide to check up on us more than once, so keep that in mind. " – And upon finishing her explanation and getting a nod from Kagami in response, she immediately went on to transform and soon swung away, heading for Alya's apartment.   
  
"Just as well." – Kagami remarked, putting the necklace back on. Before Trixx had a chance to start a full-on lecture on why you don't interrupt a kwami while they're eating, she almost immediately went on to transform as well: "Trixx, let's pounce!"  
  
And as if right on cue, shortly after Kagami descended back into the bedroom upon transforming, she heard Sabine calling from downstairs: "Marinette, Kagami, are you two alright there? You seem awfully quiet."   
  
And judging by how close the sound was, she was already coming in to check on them.   
  
**Uh oh.   
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing a proper usage of a Lucky Charm object sure is hella difficult, huh. Okay, sure, I could opt out of writing the battle entirely, or just go for an overly simplistic Lucky Charm instead, but I'm gonna be beating myself up over the head if I do that. I went through several damn objects - from a feather duster, to a box of nails, to feather duster again, to an old-timey photo flash kit (long story short, makeshift flashbangs)... And finally stopped on a box of paperclips, of all things. And even THAT is something I feel was just a big ol' cop-out.   
... Wow, since when did I start treating writing villains getting defeated by random objects as serious frickin' business?..   
Anyway, academy work is getting in the way of things all over again, and chances are I might get booted out of uni right on the last frickin' year, all because of one overly nitpicky professor. So, guess who's gonna spend most of their time buried shoulder-deep in academy work and have even less time to work on the fic. Yay...   
Sorry for the rambling. Darky Out!


	27. Explanations

While Kitsune was busy trying to get herself out of that awkwardly ill-timed situation, and Cat Noir was listening in to the talk between Juni and Tomoe regarding the former's overtime work – thankfully, it concluded on Tomoe agreeing to pay Juni for the overtime, and an admittedly backhanded apology for the inconvenience caused by Kagami's sheer hurry – , Ladybug was currently heading on over to Alya's place, as she still owed her an explanation of the whole Miracle Queen debacle.   
  
As for Alya herself, she was already waiting at the balcony by that moment, somehow feeling certain that Ladybug would definitely tell her the truth about what happened.  
  
Honestly, now that Alya looked back on the past couple weeks or so, the way things were going around her lately were a bit… Out there, to say the least, and certainly shook up the current status quo for her.   
  
First there was Marinette ditching both Adrien **and** Luka in favor of **Kagami** of all people – not that she disagreed with the choice itself, as Kagami actually seemed like a great person once she got to know her a little better, and Marinette always seemed a little bi, but it's just that it was rather odd that one moment, Marinette was willing to follow through with Juleka's (admittedly non-serious and fueled by lack of sleep) suggestion to outright **kidnap** Kagami, and the other moment, a couple months or so later, they turned out to be **dating**. 

And, admittedly, Alya was a **little** upset about the fact that all her efforts to get Marinette and Adrien together were in vain, but she figured that there's no point in crying over matchmaking failures, and thus mostly kept that to herself, with any disappointment she had dissipating rather quickly.   
  
And just as she started getting more used to it – after all, now she had no need to play matchmaker with Marinette and Adrien all the time, so her and Marinette's plans were no longer dictated by where Adrien was going, not to mention that Marinette and Kagami seemed to be happy with one another, and so if Alya's bestie was happy, then so was she – she suddenly got some truly shocking news on what seemed like an otherwise **relatively** normal Saturday.   
  
Okay, if she's being honest with herself, finding out that Queen Bee betrayed the team was… Not too surprising, actually – it really felt like Chloe was just plain going nowhere after she got the Bee Miraculous, and, if anything, seemed to act even more insufferable over time, so having it culminate in outright betrayal was nothing shocking. But finding out that Chloe somehow managed to out the rest of the team had her intrigued in all the wrong ways. She simply **had **to know how this was even possible. After all, Chloe didn't actually know Rena Rouge's and Carapace's civilian identities beforehand, and wasn't even aware of the other side heroes until then – though admittedly, Alya didn't even know there were other "recruits" besides the three of them, either – so this absolutely **required **an explanation, which-  
  
Oh, cue Ladybug landing basically right next to Alya, snapping her out of her thoughts: "Well, here I am, complete with an explanation I owed you, I guess. Glad to see you made it back home okay, by the way."  
  
"Yeah, and I got away with only having to listen to my folks lecturing me on reporter recklessness, too." – Alya replied in an attempt to defuse the tension, with both her and Ladybug briefly laughing it off.   
  
"Right… Anyway, I don't really know where to start, so-"  
  
"Just start off on what led up to the whole Miracle Queen thing. Get it out of the way quickly, if you will. "  
  
Figuring that the least she could do is at least try to keep the more secretive parts out of her explanation – specifically, the part about the past Guardian retiring and her having taken that position from then on – Ladybug spoke up: "Well, it started off with a particularly unusual akuma attack. It was a dual akumatization – you know, kind of like the Sapotis, but instead of the akumatized people becoming separate beings, they got fused into one creature…"

* * *

"And from there onward, I cannot give you, or any of my recruits so far, their respective Miraculouses anymore. Which is why I had to get a different Fox Miraculous wielder recently – though by now I think it's obvious that even the fact of their existence must be kept secret –, and chances are the others might be replaced as well. Not permanently, but at least until Hawk Moth is defeated for good. Though Queen Bee is very likely to be retired completely, depending on how everything plays out over time. "  
  
Alya's thoughts on the whole story were… Rather mixed. Sure, her expectations of Chloe were at an all-time low almost all the time, but willingly letting herself get akumatized out of sheer spite towards Ladybug? Chloe was certainly pettier than she thought. Also, to think that Hawk Moth had such an easy time compromising their identities, all because of one slip-up on Ladybug's part… Suddenly he seemed like a more genuine threat…   
  
"That's… A whole lot to take in, to say the least." – Alya finally spoke up after a few moments of awkward silence, though the phrase hardly conveyed what she really wanted to say. Still, she tried to hold back any overly strong emotions, so, after taking a few deep breaths to calm down, she continued: "All I can say is, I have some choice words for Chloe on the whole situation, but I know that confronting her now would only make things even worse, so I guess I'd better keep those aforementioned "choice words" to myself."  
  
"Well, at least I didn't have to spend time convincing her not to get too confrontational with Chloe. I hope the others will be just as reasonable…" – Ladybug thought to herself as she heard Alya's words trailing off into a tired groan. Knowing full well that her friend still wasn’t happy about the prospect of being retired for good, she tried to at least somewhat alleviate the situation: "Either way, I hope that cleared things up. But I promise, after Hawk Moth is defeated, you and the others will be very much welcomed back to the team."  
  
"Really?! " – Alya shouted out with maybe a bit too much excitement in her tone, and then, after some awkward coughing, took a verbal backspace: "I mean, that… Would be great, but I guess I'd better not get my hopes up anytime soon. Also, should I tell Nino about the whole Miracle Queen debacle, or…"  
  
"If you feel that's going to make things easier, then do it. That'll also be one less person for me to explain everything to, and reducing my already long list of people whom I owe an explanation of what happened is very much welcome. I just hope the others will be as understanding as you are, though…" -   
  
"I'm pretty sure they will. Why else would you choose them to be your allies in the first place if that weren't the case, right?" – Alya blurted out, yet upon noticing Ladybug's "Yeah, i know, I messed up" expression, which indicated that her choice of words was rather poor, especially given the situation that caused the incident in the first place, corrected herself: "Okay, sorry I said that."  
  
Figuring that her expression faltering might've been a bit too much of a dead giveaway, Ladybug reassured Alya: "You don't have to apologize for that. I know what you meant." - Afterwards, she looked around some more, figuring she's done everything she needed to for now, and added: "Anyway, I guess I'd better talk to the others about the whole situation when I have some time off. Oh, and please, try not to get yourself into more danger than necessary in the future, will you? I still want to be able to have you fight by my side again after Hawk Moth is defeated, you know. "– And with that said, Ladybug soon swung off of Alya's balcony, while she herself decided she might as well head to bed early.   
  
**Well, at least that was out of the way.**

* * *

Marinette could clearly tell that something didn't quite go to plan the moment she set foot back into her bedroom after detransforming. Kagami was sitting on her bed, looking somewhat embarrassed – and sure, while her expression was unfaltering as always, the sheer redness of her cheeks and the way she was resting her head on her knees spoke volumes about how she really felt – while Trixx was rolling on the bed laughing just a few inches away from the embarrassed girl. Marinette didn't question why Kagami wouldn't just take off the Fox Miraculous in order to dismiss Trixx – after all, she knew the reason why all too well: "Paralyzed by embarrassment. I guess that happens even to confidence incarnates like Kagami, huh…"  
  
"What happened?" – Marinette finally spoke up, getting both Kagami's and Trixx's attention… Only for both of them to react in different ways to her presence – Kagami's confident facade falling right apart as she covered her face with both hands and groaned in frustration, while Trixx continued laughing his tail off even more than before, practically rolling on the bed in sheer hysteria. – "You… Messed up a Mirage, didn't you?"  
  
"Quite the opposite – it seemed that my attempt to keep your parents from coming in to check up on us worked a little too well…" – Kagami remarked in a muffled voice, starting to get really annoyed by Trixx's laughter, though feeling a slight tinge of relief that he didn't laugh loud enough to get the attention of Marinette's parents.

While Trixx was still busy laughing his tail off, he didn't even notice Kagami lifting the Fox Miraculous off her neck, and soon disappeared in a flash, not ceasing his laughter all the while.   
  
Groaning in frustration, Kagami looked over at Marinette, who was… More than a little confused by what she just saw. She knew that Kagami wasn't easily embarrassed, so something was clearly up.   
  
"I guess I better explain everything." – Kagami finally spoke up after a few moments of awkward silence, and, taking a deep breath, began her explanation: "Shortly after you left, your mother decided to check up on us. I knew I needed an illusion that she wouldn't end up accidentally dispelling by just one touch, so it had to be something that would cause her to leave us be immediately. So, basically, the Mirage I created was of us… Making out."  
  
Marinette laughed out loud as Kagami finished that sentence, and added: "Really? I wouldn't think you would be embarrassed about **this** of all things, considering what you just sent me a week or so back! Sure, it's a questionable choice for a Mirage, but considering that we're a couple, this is-"  
  
"I'm not done explaining, Marinette." – Kagami interrupted, whilst Marinette decided she might as well sit down for the remainder of the explanation. – "Once Sabine walked in on "us", she apologized and left rather quickly. However, I knew I had to maintain the illusion a little longer, just in case. However, our illusionary selves didn't… They didn't stop at just kissing. First base, second base… You know the drill."  
  
Now the mental image was getting through to Marinette, as a bit of a blush was creeping up on her cheeks, and her stuttering wasn't helping either: "We-we-well…I mean… So long as my parents didn't walk back in on us doing… More than kissing, then-"  
  
"Marinette, please. I'm about to get there." – Kagami deadpanned, not exactly amused by Marinette's constant interruptions of her explanation, though the fact that this implication alone was enough to get through to Marinette actually amused her a little. – "The main point is, something must have gotten messed up in the illusion, or I got carried away, or something. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say that the illusion of you… **Was quite the screamer**."   
  
Huh?  
  
Oh.  
  
**Oh!**   
  
**Oh dear…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I didn't get booted from uni, thank frickin' Arceus. 
> 
> Second of all, thanks for the 600 kudos! That's probably the most attention any of my fics ever gotten, too. 
> 
> Thirdly, this chapter took a bit too long, but I've certainly had fun with it. If it weren't for my other hyperfixations and even more university work getting in the way of things, I swear I would've finished this one earlier.


	28. Chaos

"All I know is, I'm going to have a very awkward conversation with my parents this morning."  
  
Marinette and Kagami, having taken care of some necessary business and changed into their respective night clothes – admittedly, there was a bit of awkwardness involved with the whole "changing clothes in front of each other" thing, but compared to the embarrassment both girls experienced prior, it was nothing – , were currently lying in the former's bed, having just barely enough space between them on the semi-double bed to lie apart from one another. Kagami wasn't exactly used to sleeping on anything other than a futon, so not having to deal with the usual chillness underneath was pleasantly surprising. Then again, she was almost certain that snuggling up to Marinette would make it feel even better… Yet currently, their main concern wasn't their sleeping position, but rather, the possible aftermath of Kagami's outing as Kitsune and the… Rather loud stunt she pulled with that Mirage.  
  
And naturally, Kagami gave a rather blunt answer to Marinette's prior remark: "Just tell them you'd much rather avoid a lesbian edition of "the talk" and leave it be. Besides, given how we technically didn't go at it tonight, I don't think there is any necessity for any awkward conversations on the subject in the first place. Plus, while I'm sure your parents mean well and are very open-minded, I doubt they are educated enough on the matter to not make it even **more **awkward."  
  
"Seems reasonable enough, I guess." – Marinette sighed out, scooting closer to Kagami for comfort. – "That being said, maybe you'd want to talk about something more pleasant before going to sleep?"  
  
"Maybe. Anything in particular, or just some pointless chatter?" – Kagami asked back, wrapping her arm around Marinette. The other girl chuckled and replied: "Well, for starters, I'd want to know if you are going to head right home tomorrow morning, or if we'll actually get to spend some time together."  
  
"Don't worry, it's the latter. Tomorrow-" – Kagami reached over for her phone and checked the time, then continued: "Or, rather, today, I don't have any training scheduled, so it's a full day off for me. Were you thinking of any places to hang out at?"  
  
"Well, we might just go to the usual café, get some orange juice, all that. Maybe a quiet stroll through the city, go to a park or something, I guess?" – That response earned a sleepy giggle from Kagami as she drowsily added: "Yeah, that would be great. But, you know, if we spend all night discussing our plans, we won't have the energy to fulfill them, so, goodnight, Mari-hime~"  
  
"Goodnight, uh… Darn it, I can't think of a halfway decent pet name. Maybe-" – Not that Marinette's rambling was heard by Kagami, as she was already fast asleep. – "Ah, nevermind…"

* * *

As much as Marinette wanted to just sleep her butt off till 1 PM, Kagami made it rather difficult to do so. Turns out a few gentle nudges went a long way to get Marinette to wake up early on a Sunday morning.  
  
So, now, at 8 AM - give or take a couple minutes - , Marinette was currently standing outside the bathroom, waiting for Kagami to finish showering – Marinette insisted that she go first, citing her reasons being that she usually took a tad too long doing so – and hoping that her folks wouldn't bother her with what happened last night. Or, well, what they heard and **thought** happened.  
  
"Marinette, sweetie, we need to talk." – And as if right on cue, Sabine showed up, with her daughter's response being a tired groan. – "Honey, I know full well what you and Kagami were up to last night, and-"  
  
"Mom, please, I do **not **want to have this conversation." – Marinette interrupted before things got too awkward and before her dad would also show up to make things even more troubling – she knew that her parents meant well, but, like Kagami said, they were probably too uninformed in the subject to not make the conversation… Extra awkward, really.  
  
Though admittedly, her mother's response left her taken aback: "Oh, thank goodness."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I'll be completely honest, Marinette – I don't know much on the subject of girl-girl relationships, and especially the bedroom matters involved, except for some vague ideas, so I think it is best that I stay out of this so I won't embarrass you with my lack of knowledge about it." – Sabine was clearly uneasy as she spoke, probably trying her best to avoid embarrassing her daughter as she spoke. – "That being said, I hope I don't have to remind you that using protection is important even when there is no risk of pregnancy. Though that does bring the question of what kind of protection would be used in-"  
  
"I'll… Look something up on the matter if there's anything I'll need to know. No need to take this conversation any further." – Marinette retorted, clearly already embarrassed by the situation. – "Though I do have to thank you for not getting my dad involved in this."  
  
"Oh no, I would never. If anything, yesterday, Tom outright **insisted **that I be the one to talk to you about this! " – Soon enough, Sabine heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom stop, and remarked: "Well, guess that's your cue. I'll just leave you be. "  
  
And before Marinette had anything else to say, Sabine already walked away and out of sight, though it took a few more moments since that prior remark before Kagami finally stepped out of the bathroom, having nothing but a towel wrapped around her body while her hair was still wet. Suffice to say, given how short the towel really was, wrapped around in a way that only covered the "necessary" parts, so to speak, the sight left Marinette blushing like no tomorrow.

"All this fencing really does a body good, huh… " – Marinette thought to herself, paying the most attention to Kagami's legs. Naturally, she took notice.  
  
"What, didn't you see enough last night?" – She teased upon noticing that Marinette was staring at her, causing the other girl's face to outright become beet-red as she shouted out: "Kagami, please! "  
  
"Come on, Marinette, I'm just trying to help you keep your cover. Neither of us would want your parents to find out what we **really** were up to last evening, right? Besides, I can tell you are all kinds of thirsty. " – Kagami continued as she lowered her voice to a near-whisper, making sure only Marinette could hear her. Not that she got any response, as Marinette just took a deep breath, walked right past Kagami, and closed the door right behind her.  
  
"Maybe I did go a little overboard. Oops. "

* * *

After all the morning routine was taken care of – Marinette managed to avoid any further embarrassment during breakfast by basically stuffing her mouth full of pancakes as much as she could so she'd have an excuse not to answer whatever questions her parents or Kagami might have had – Kagami and Marinette soon headed off to the usual café, deciding to follow through with the plans they discussed last night, though they did spend the way there in silence, given that Marinette was still a little ticked off by Kagami's teasing that morning.  
  
"Okay, I'm sorry about teasing you, and about having embarrassed you so much last evening. So there. " – Kagami attempted to apologize shortly after they arrived and took their seats at the usual table outside. Upon only getting a glare in response, Kagami figured she'd better change up the subject: "Say, how was school treating you this week?"

After a few moments of awkward silence and Marinette figuring she can't really be mad at Kagami for long, she sighed and replied: "Depends. We're talking schoolwork, which I seem to be knee-deep in almost all the time, or how things were going with my class in general?"  
  
"I take it you'd prefer to talk about the latter. You see, I was actually wondering how your classmates might have reacted to news of us dating." – Kagami elaborated, taking a sip of her orange juice afterwards.  
  
"They took it surprisingly well. I mean, there **was** some initial surprise that it was **you** of all people I decided to get together with-" – Marinette almost instantly realized how badly that sounded, and hurriedly corrected herself: "I mean, not that it's wrong to be dating you, it's just that, they usually remembered that I didn't exactly have the best opinion of you- Back then, that is! Way back then, before Ikari Gozen, and-"  
  
"Marinette, calm down." – The other girl placed her index on Marinette's mouth, then, after letting go and letting Marinette take a deep breath to quiet down a bit, motioned her to continue.  
  
"Right… If anything, my friends had quite the field day teasing me about my crush on you. Partly because of the sheer irony, partly because I may or may not have been vehemently denying said crush for a couple moments before admitting it." – This seemed to earn a giggle in response from Kagami, whilst Marinette just rolled her eyes and took a sip from her glass as well.  
  
"And what about that guitarist boy you've been with before me? I know he's not even from your class – or even the same school as you, for that matter – but, you know, how did he take the-"  
  
"Oh, turns out he was in on your crush on me. And he went on with his usual "If you're happy, then so am I" schtick during the phone conversation we've had on the matter a few days after your confession. And so far, everything seems like he's cool with it. And I don't even know whether to feel relieved or uneasy about it." - Marinette stammered out that last sentence somewhat nervously.  
  
"Selfless to a flaw, huh… No wonder you gravitated towards him so much at first." – Kagami remarked in her usual blunt tone, and upon seeing Marinette's quizzical look, elaborated: "I could even go on a limb and say you've seen a bit of yourself in him, maybe. Passion for a specific hobby – fashion design in your case, music in his – selflessness to the point of it being both a strength and a flaw, and being socially awkward, albeit in different ways. "  
  
"Luka didn't seem all that socially awkward…" – Marinette attempted to correct her girlfriend, yet she elaborated yet further: "You yourself said he communicates better through music than he does through words, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but… Oh, I get it. Yeah, i guess that does fall under the definition of social awkwardness. Maybe. " – And on that note, both girls were back to sipping on their orange juice. Though that part of the conversation left Marinette wondering…  
  
After a few more moments of relative quiet, she asked: "Say, Kagami, now that you brought it up, I was thinking…**"  
  
"**Hmm?"  
  
"**…What was it that made _you_ "gravitate" towards _me_?**"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a mess. I get the feeling that the contrast between "soft girlfriends UwU" and "Marinette is thirsty AF ;D And Kagami knows it ;P" in the first half may have turned a bit too strong... Also, obligatory cliffhanger question ending, because of course.  
Darky Out!
> 
> EDIT 14/12/20: I've been a tad under the weather lately, so you can imagine that this really doesn't help my writing progress in any way, shape, or form. So, the next chapter might take A LONG while. Like, over a month or so even from now. Sorry.


	29. Triggers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Slurs, lesphobia, attempted sexual assault.

Kagami never hesitated. Or, at the very least, almost never.   
  
Luckily, the question given to her by Marinette was **not **the one that made her hesitate with the answer, as she stood up from her seat, looking down at Marinette, and gave her reply: "Depends, really. But if you want me to give you the short version… You are incredibly selfless, kind, charming, and just plain really pretty."

For a few moments, there was a bit of an awkward pause as Marinette looked at Kagami, blushing profusely, before the latter backpedaled and remarked in her usual deadpan tone, though the blush creeping up on her cheeks showed how she really felt about the situation: "I know that I could've put it more poetically, but-"  
  
"Oh, don't worry, there's no need to go waxing poetics at me. We all know how cheesy **that **can get." – Marinette interrupted, with both her and Kagami laughing it off moments afterwards as the latter got back on her seat. – "Then again, now I don't even know how to respond to what you just told me, because… Well, I have even less to say… I mean, not to imply you yourself aren't beautiful, or kind, or-"  
  
"No, it's alright. Considering that confessions come with more difficulty to some people than others, I don't think there is any need for you to try and strain a confession out." – The other girl reassured her, and soon went back to her seat. – "Anyway, hopefully neither of us will end up too busy the following week, because… I do admit that I wanted to check out more of the city, just not in an incredibly hasty manner as we did back then."  
  
"I guess with how you rarely visit any places outside of the ones in your everyday route, some sightseeing would be more than welcome for you, huh?" – Marinette asked whilst Kagami went on to finish her glass of orange juice.   
  
"Oh, definitely." – And just as Kagami was about to list off some particular places she wanted to visit…   
  
Some seemingly random guy - one that Kagami may or may not have noticed in the cafe proper previously, but didn't pay much attention to - approached both girls and decided to budge right into the conversation: "Well, ain't this quite a sight! What are you two fine ladies doing out here all by yourselves?"   
  
The guy that decided to hit on the two girls was looking rather average and unremarkable – there wasn't much about him that really stood out appearance-wise, but something about him still felt a bit off, like his very presence was making . One thing that Kagami immediately noted was that he appeared to be college-age **at the very least**, and something was telling Marinette that unlike, say, someone like Theo, this particular guy **did **actually look his age. Of course, they both thought that this guy probably chose the wrong time and place to practice his "pickup mastery", and that neither of them wanted to be on the receiving end of such "practice". Not helping matters was how, besides the guy, there hardly seemed to be any other people around, and even they didn't pay any attention to what was going on…  
  
And as much as Kagami wanted to give some overly blunt comeback in response, she figured that it was not worth the noise, and, sighing, replied: "We're just hanging out here, spending some time with one another. It's not really any of your concern. "  
  
"Ah, a friend date between two girls at a café. Not a half bad way to spend the weekend, I suppose. But certainly, you two would prefer it if I bought each of you a real, proper drink, eh? Pretty sure neither of you have anything better to do throughout the day, am I right? " – The unlikely pickup artist continued, much to both Kagami and Marinette's chagrin. Kagami was already reaching for the bokken in her bag, getting the feeling that things might just escalate at the worst of times. After all, if there is one thing she knew for certain throughout her time in Paris, it's that even without akumas on the loose, the city had way too many weirdos per square kilometer.   
  
"It's a tempting offer, but we'd much rather refuse. My girlfriend and I are a bit too young to be drinking the so-called "real drinks", not to mention we do have other plans for the day. " – Marinette elaborated, her annoyance already peeking through in her tone. Kagami didn't even add anything, glaring at the guy like no tomorrow and seemingly having gotten a grip on her bokken by then.   
  
"Pffft, really? Catch me thinking you two were too pretty to be **dykes**." – And that was the remark that made Kagami grip her bokken a little tighter, especially given that the guy stood right behind Marinette. – "Then again, neither of you seem like lost causes just yet, so maybe I can change at least one of your minds…"  
  
Oh, Marinette very much did not like the fact that the guy's hands wandered over to her shoulders just as he said that…  
  
Cue Kagami bolting from her seat, lunging towards the unlikely pick-up artist with her bokken out, hitting him with enough force to send him outright reeling back. Kagami was certain that if she put any more force into that strike, and was even more ticked off than she was now, she would end up outright dislocating the guy's jaw.   
  
"Of course, leave it to a dyke to take things too bloody personally… No wonder you two had to resort to each other, cause no guy would look in your general direction with an attitude like that. " – The guy spat out, rubbing his hurt cheek. Quite a few passerby were already starting to gather, as they didn't exactly expect a fight to break out in broad daylight – at least, not one that didn't involve any superheroes or supervillains, that is.   
  
"Get lost. And don't make me hurt you even **more**. " – Kagami snapped off, still holding onto her bokken just in case things would escalate. Marinette was just silently hoping that the conflict would end there – if anything, having to deal with another akuma attack was not on the list of her plans, and she was pretty sure Cat Noir didn't want to get involved in a second akuma attack shortly after helping her out last evening.   
  
The unlikely pickup artist figured that risking any further bodily harm was not worth it, and ran off, whilst Kagami sighed and sat back down, taking a few deep breaths to calm down as she hid her bokken back in her bag.   
  
Marinette was still sitting there silently, feeling a tad uneasy after having been nearly assaulted in broad daylight. Kagami got up from her seat and walked over to her girlfriend, noticing that she was still rather shook after the occurence, and asked: "Are you alright, Marinette?"

After a few moments of quiet, and upon noticing Kagami's worried look, Marinette finally spoke up: "Yes, I… I think I'm fine. To be honest, that wasn't the first time someone made unwanted advances on me, but to have it happen like this, in broad daylight… Is unnerving, to say the least." - She shuddered as she uttered that last sentence. One thing was that one incident with whoever that Adrien imposter was, where she was at least in costume and could retaliate with ease, yet this was different - after all, she was powerless, and transforming at that moment would have been the worst possible way to blow her cover…

"For both our sakes, let's just hope that the guy won't get akumatized." - Kagami remarked, and that seemed to prompt another shudder from Marinette.

"I don't even want to know what kind of akumatized villain he would be if he were."

"Let's not stick around to find out, then. Maybe we should call it a day while we're at it." - Kagami reached for her phone, just about to call her mother, when Marinette gestured her not to and replied: "No, it's alright. If anything, I think a walk around the city should probably help me get my mind off of what happened. Hopefully. "

Kagami sighed and put her phone back into her pocket, and instead decided to call the waiter over, deciding that either way, it would be better for them to pay up and leave.

Just as the two left the premises for good and got far enough away, however, Marinette leant over on Kagami's shoulder and remarked: "It is quite amusing, though."

"What is?" - Kagami remarked, somewhat confused by Marinette's attempts at bringing some levity to her own situation.

"Well, you know about the kind of things I deal with on day to day basis, and yet here is some random guy I couldn't even do anything about. I admit that's not the first time I felt so powerless, but, you know…" - Marinette's words trailed off there in a way that thoroughly implied that she didn't want to talk about it any further, and Kagami figured it's better to not dwell on what happened. Though she did feel the need to get at least some words of reassurance in:

**"Just remember that, if anything, I am always by your side, Marinette**."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... I just hope I didn't offend anyone with this chapter. Writing about any particularly serious issues, even if they're focused upon for barely even half the chapter, is not my forte, and I guess it shows. Better hope it doesn't show too badly, though. 
> 
> Anyway, I've gotten over my recent illness, but alas, I have university finals nearly looming over me, so progress is still going to be hella slow. And, well, the hiatus is not really helping, either. But hopefully I should still be able to continue working on this fic, even if I am a tad tempted to write some other stuff for this fandom (like, say, a vampire AU fic with vampire Kagami and quite a fair bit of Marigami...) , yet not exactly feeling up to it at the moment. 
> 
> Darky Out!


End file.
